Tommyknockers Tommyknockers knocking at my door…
by SplendentGoddess
Summary: The Inu-tachi come upon a friendly village to stop at for the night, though it quickly turns out that everyone is a bit too friendly. When Inuyasha goes missing and Sango and Miroku want to settle down, Kagome wonders if everyone is crazy but her.


Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.

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><p>Nominated for Best Canon, Inuyasha Fanguild 4th Quarter 2009<p>

Winner! 1st Place for Best One-shot, Feudal Association 4th Quarter 2010

Winner! 4th Place for Best Action/Adventure, Born For Each Other 4th Quarter 2011

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Happy Halloween!

Instead of only doing stories that use the holiday as a backdrop for a romantic setting, I've decided to change things up a bit in this universe by doing what a lot of television programs do, and make a story that doesn't directly involve the holiday at all, but instead has been given a spooky edge that is holiday-appropriate.

This one-shot takes place earlier in the storyline, during what I always used to call the 'randomly generated anime episode' time period, in reference to the _first _run of the anime, meaning that Kikyou is still alive, Kohaku is still under Naraku's control, and Kagome is still in possession of a few jewel shards in that little glass bottle of hers. That one detail specifically is a necessity.

There's no lemons in this one, or really any fluff, either. This story isn't about that. The only real warning is for gratuitous cussing and (non-gory) violence.

So sit back, relax, grab some popcorn, and enjoy my adaptation of a Stephen King classic.

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~*~*~*~ Tommyknockers Tommyknockers knocking at my door… ~*~*~*~

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"How much further before we can take a break?" Kagome complained, pushing her bicycle over the rocky mountain road to give her sore bottom a much-needed reprieve.

"Yeah!" Shippou piped up from his spot in the bike's front basket.

Turning to glare over his shoulder at the kitsune, Inuyasha barked out, "Shut it, pipsqueak. You've got no room to talk, freeloading like that."

"What about the rest of us?" Kagome asked then, not in the least bit detoured by his sour mood.

The future-born miko understood how constantly stopping to rest must be frustrating for the hanyou who honest to truly _didn't _need the amount of rest they humans did, but what were they supposed to do about it? They were human, so Inuyasha just needed to learn to suck it up and deal with it.

"Kagome-sama speaks for me as well." Miroku chimed in in that moment, sending the fifteen-year-old a brief smile and nod before shifting his gaze to the slayer's direction.

While Miroku knew that both he and Sango could still walk a bit farther before stopping, the houshi had sympathy for the miko who was clearly not used to such extended lengths of travel. Still, Kagome's endurance was increasing remarkably quickly, the monk thought, as she had actually gone much longer before asking to rest than he'd been expecting. Surely Inuyasha had noticed that as well? Day by day, Kagome was acclimating to their journey. Though that still didn't mean they should push the modern girl too far too quickly.

"Me too." Sango spoke up in that moment, after sending Miroku a brief nod and smile to let him know at his glance that she understood and appreciated his consideration for their friend.

"Feh…weak humans." Inuyasha muttered under his breath, before rolling his eyes because he knew there was simply nothing for it.

"Fine, you guys catch your breath. I'm going to go scout ahead for a while. We'll be needing to find a place to make camp in another couple of hours, anyway, so I may as well see what I can find on this mountain while you guys take a break."

That said, the hanyou bound away up the road at a much faster pace than they had previously been traveling, disappearing around the curve up ahead. Part of Kagome actually felt a bit guilty, knowing that she really was slowing him down, but the other part of her felt nothing but tremendous relief in that moment as she kicked down her bike's stand before plopping herself down on a large rock.

"Anybody else want some water?" she asked while digging in her backpack.

Neither Miroku nor Sango were about to turn her down as she offered each of them a plastic water bottle. While it was true that they could have continued onward for a while longer if they'd had to, it wasn't as if stopping was as annoying to them as it was to the hanyou. They were still human, after all, and the pit stop was honestly appreciated.

Having handed Shippou a third water bottle, Kagome was just pulling out the plastic dish she kept for Kirara, preparing to pour some of her own water for the nekomata to drink from, when Inuyasha's red-clad form reappeared at the edge of the road, heading back in their direction.

_That was fast…_ the miko thought dejectedly. She hadn't even had time to eat her granola bar yet!

"Inuyasha?" Miroku inquired at the bizarre mixture of emotions he could plainly see warring for dominance in the hanyou's eyes.

"There's a farming village just up the road…" he informed his group slowly.

"And?" Sango asked, unconsciously tightening her grip on Hiraikotsu's strap at his tone of voice. "Is there trouble?"

Inuyasha shook his head.

"Were they hostile?" Miroku inquired next, knowing how unfamiliar villagers might have reacted to seeing a sword-wielding youkai racing towards their community. It would be unfortunate if Inuyasha's hasty appearance had inadvertently triggered a misunderstanding that would now prevent them a stay within their borders.

"Just the opposite." Inuyasha informed them then, immediately putting Miroku's worries at ease. That was, until he added, "They seemed almost _too _nice."

"Too nice how?" Sango asked, her grip on Hiraikotsu not lessening.

"When they saw me coming they smiled and fucking waved hello!" Inuyasha exclaimed, his bafflement and uncertainty clear in his voice.

It was then Kagome's turn to roll her eyes.

"Oh please, you're just so used to everyone treating you meanly that you get suspicious at anyone who's not prejudice against you for your mixed blood."

"Why would anyone in their right mind _not_ be prejudice against me?" he snapped back, though he immediately regretted his words at the way Kagome flinched.

Oh yeah…she wasn't prejudice against him, was she? Well, then again, he still stood by what he said, because how often was that clumsy wench really in her right mind, anyway?

"If those people are nice then maybe they'll let us stay there for the night!" Shippou piped up in that moment, adding, "Then we won't have to find a place to make camp!"

Inuyasha was just about to protest when Miroku chimed in with, "And I am sure they would be able to provide us with some sort of a meal, which would then mean no need to hunt, while also preserving our traveling rations."

"It's worth checking out." Sango agreed, though she wasn't so quick to dismiss Inuyasha's concerns. Despite Kagome's belief, it _was_ rather unusual for random villagers to show such open welcome to somebody who was clearly demonic in nature.

Packing up her water bottles, the miko was just eager to get to the village, the prospects of having a roof over her head for one night outweighing any other concerns she might have had. While the summer nights were warm enough that sleeping outdoors was relatively comfortable, temperature wise, there were always annoying bugs buzzing and crawling everywhere. Indoors was definitely better; even traditional futon pads and Sengoku period latrines beat sleeping on the lumpy ground and having to relieve one's self by squatting behind a bush in the middle of the forest.

Upon arriving at the village, the 21st century teenager couldn't help but to smile at the vision before her, as she bore witness to something she used to think she could only ever read about in history books. It was quite a nice little farming community, and she had to suppress her urge to giggle at how kawaii the baby goats were that she could see running around playing with some of the village children. Shimmering rice fields glistened in the small valley that rested just below the shallow slope that led towards the mountain stream that functioned as the village's main water supply, while rows of various other vegetables were currently being worked in the fields immediately to their left. Several farmers looked up at their approach, and every one of them smiled, several waving their hellos.

One man came forward, and while loosening his straw hat to hang back against his shoulders, he greeted Inuyasha directly as he stated, "Welcome back! We thought we'd scared you off for a minute there, but now I see you were only getting your companions. All of you are welcome here!"

Kagome couldn't help it. His smile was contagious, as she found herself grinning in turn, bowing on behalf of her paranoid companion as she responded with, "Thank you! We are merely passing through, but to stay and rest for the night in your village would be quite helpful, if it wouldn't be too much trouble."

"Oh, no. No trouble at all." the farmer assured her, explaining, "Our village is set on such a main road, that we have an Inn set aside especially for travelers such as yourselves. And you needn't worry about dinner, either…" he added before anyone could even ask. "We all dine together at the end of the day's work in the main hall. Visitors are of course always welcome to join us."

"Thank you kindly." Miroku spoke up in that moment, bowing his own thanks. For once he wouldn't have to waste any of his ofuda faking an exorcism. Perhaps it would even turn out that these people had heard a rumor or two of some jewel shards. After all, it _was_ a fairly well traveled road they were currently ascending, and the villagers apparently had travelers stop there often. It would most certainly behoove them to ask around, the monk decided in that moment, a noticeable grin forming on his lips as he caught sight of some of the lovely village women. It had definitely been the right decision to stay there for the night.

For once completely oblivious to where Miroku's thoughts had temporarily wandered off to, Sango was also pleasantly surprised by the general turn of events. While she would admit to having momentarily shared in Inuyasha's concerns, she could now see that the hanyou's worries had been ungrounded. There was nothing bizarre going on in this village except that they were welcoming of hanyou and youkai. But what was truly so bizarre about that? Inuyasha was welcomed back in Kaede's village, after all. Perhaps these people had a couple of resident youkai companions of their own? But whatever the case may be, it was with a relaxed posture and genuine smile that Sango followed behind Miroku who followed behind the farmer who had taken it upon himself to show them all to the village Inn. Kagome was right behind them, taking a few seconds to pause here and there to coo at all of the cute farm animals they passed by, while Shippou, still hitching a ride in her bike's basket, tried to figure out what that funny feeling was he could suddenly feel tingling against the very back of his mind.

Grumbling to himself, Inuyasha reluctantly followed after his companions, knowing there was something fishy about the farming village, even if he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He would get to the bottom of it, though. Of that he was sure.

"Meow…"

Momentarily startled, Inuyasha glanced down to find Kirara walking alongside him. Why had the nekomata left Sango's company?

"You feel it too, huh?"

"Meow."

~o~o~o~o~o~

"Ahh…a full stomach sure feels nice." Miroku commented while patting his belly, as if he and the others went hungry on a regular basis.

"Would you like any more sake?" the young and beautiful, albeit oddly thin for the amount of food they possessed, village woman asked him as she held up her gourd.

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly…" he replied with a shy smile, causing the woman to smile in turn, revealing poorly kept teeth as she responded with, "Nonsense! Have more, I insist."

With that, she proceeded to pour him another cup.

"Well, if you insist." the monk agreed then, sending her another smile. It wasn't the best sake he had ever tasted, but it wasn't anywhere near the worst sake he had ever tasted, either.

Rolling her eyes at Miroku's unrelenting flirtatiousness, Kagome sent a concerned glance in Sango's direction, but for once, the taijiya didn't seem disturbed by Miroku's banter with their server. Instead, she was heavily engaged in her own conversation with one of the local farmers, whom Kagome couldn't help but overhear had previously been employed as a sword smith somewhere else before deciding to move to that village. That was an odd career change, but one the miko couldn't rightfully fault when she took note of how peaceful everything seemed in the farming community. She could only imagine how tiresome working with steel could become for somebody who didn't absolutely love their trade. Maybe he had been forced to make a sword for some tyrant or another, which had then driven him to give up the profession? Kagome knew how little respect Inuyasha showed for Totosai, and that man was supposedly a friend of the family, so she could only imagine how a criminal might have treated that man back when he'd still been a sword smith, demanding he make weapons to commit honorless murders. Oh well, it wasn't really any of her business why he had decided to become a farmer instead.

"How are you feeling?" she asked Inuyasha quietly, turning in his direction to regard his uneasy expression with her own look of concern. Surely the villagers' polite dispositions weren't still bothering him?

"Feh…just finish your food, wench. I want you guys getting to sleep as early as possible, so that we can _leave _as early as possible tomorrow morning."

_I guess that answers that question…_

Instead of arguing, however, Kagome chose to respect Inuyasha's feelings in that moment. She still thought he was being silly, but then again, she knew that she could never really hope to understand what it was like for him. So if he was uncomfortable in that village, no matter how unjustified his feelings were in her own opinion, she wouldn't fault him his desire to get back out on the road again as quickly as possible. Besides, it wasn't exactly like they could dillydally all day long tomorrow, anyway. They had to get back to hunting the jewel shards, after all. Unfortunately, nobody in the farming community had heard any rumors of any jewel shards or possible activity of Naraku – Miroku had already asked earlier that evening before dinner – so they had no definite destination in mind for heading back out in the morning, but they should still get a move on as early as possible, regardless. No sense in wasting valuable traveling time.

Getting back to her meal, the miko couldn't help glancing around at all of the various low tables all set up together in the large open hall where they were currently eating. It was a lovely open-air dining room, reminiscent of a picnic area from her time as a few posts here and there held up a sturdy roof but they were otherwise out in the open. Fortunately, being up against the mountain like they were, it prevented the wind from getting very nasty, as only the slightest of breezes kept the airflow mild and pleasant. It seemed that the man who had greeted them upon their arrival hadn't been kidding, either, since it seemed like nearly the entire village was indeed in attendance for the grand meal they apparently all shared together every night, a self-dedicated reward for all of their hard work during the day maintaining their self-reliance.

Somebody had explained to them earlier that evening that they never did trade with any of the neighboring communities, sustaining themselves solely on the materials they produced for themselves. It seemed the only things they imported at all were residents, Kagome mused, as several people had mentioned having originally moved there from some other village or another. But that wasn't really too odd considering the place wasn't exactly hidden away, and Kagome could see how appealing the peaceful life of a farmer could seem to say…someone who had just lost their entire family and livelihood to a bandit attack. Sometimes it was easy for the miko to forget that they were currently in the _Warring States _era. These people were lucky to have found whatever little peace they could manage for their lives. If the village was friendly enough to also welcome survivors from other decimated villages, then that only made them all the better in her book.

After finishing their dinner, the inu-tachi were shown to their rooms for the night, or _room_, actually, per Inuyasha's insistence. Not that the Inn Keeper minded in the least, providing them with a modest dividing screen to separate the girls' sleeping area from the boys'.

Doing his best to settle down for the night, the hanyou couldn't help but feel like something was very, very wrong, all of his instincts setting off warning bells in his head, even if he couldn't really smell anything out of the ordinary. Granted, the villagers all smelled a little sicklier than they probably should, especially considering how well everyone apparently ate on a daily basis, but humans could get sickly from all sorts of things besides malnutrition, so he knew that that alone wouldn't be grounds for suggesting they head out now; it didn't smell like anything contagious. Inuyasha hadn't missed the look in Kagome's eyes at the initial mention of the farming village, at the prospect of spending the night indoors rather than outside in the middle of nowhere, and he really didn't feel like getting his face slammed into the floorboards, which he was sure would be the inevitable outcome if he started an argument about skipping out during the night based on nothing more than a gut feeling.

Gripping Tessaiga a little tighter than usual, he shifted into a slightly more comfortable position while still ensuring that he could spring to his feet at a moment's notice should something suddenly go awry during the night. He had _no _intention of sleeping.

It was perhaps three hours into the night when it started, the increase of that nagging feeling that something was wrong, a tingling in the back of his mind that was becoming too strong to ignore. It was like something was clawing at his youki, although he had no idea what. But he knew he wasn't imagining things when it became apparent that Kirara felt it too. Having been sitting with his eyes closed, so as to better listen, Inuyasha hadn't noticed at first how twitchy the nekomata had also become, the demonic feline able to remain stealthfully silent even as she paced back and forth unnervingly across the chamber floor. In the silence of the night, their eyes met, and Inuyasha nodded to himself that he'd had enough of not knowing. With the fire-cat awake and alert, he felt confident that she could stand watch over the humans and runt while he investigated just what was the cause of…whatever it was…that even seemed to be disturbing little Shippou now as the kitsune suddenly started twitching and whimpering in his sleep as though he were having a nightmare.

_There is definitely something not right about this village, and I plan on finding out just what it is…_

With one final look at Kagome's sleeping form, he left the room.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Kagome awoke to the peaceful sound of chirping songbirds, a welcome change from what she had been expecting, Inuyasha's towering voice demanding that she get up and get a move on. The miko had no idea why he had decided to let her sleep-in long enough to awaken on her own, but she was grateful for the small gesture. Sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Kagome noted the position of the sun outside the window, and guessed that it was probably somewhere around seven o'clock in the morning. Much later than when she was used to getting up those days.

Glancing around the room, the miko silently took inventory. Inuyasha was gone, although that wasn't too surprising. He was probably outside somewhere near the Inn, pacing back and forth and cursing quietly to himself about lazy humans. Shippou was no longer down by the foot of her sleeping bag, either, but she could clearly hear the happy squeals and laughter of the local village children, and surmised that the kitsune was probably enjoying the brief opportunity to play with other children his own age. He always enjoyed playing with the children back in Kaede's village whenever they rested there for a day or two in between journeys.

Shifting her eyes to her left, Kagome smiled whimsically at the sight of the youkai slayer still sleeping beside her, Sango's hair laying about her head in a tousled mess. Sango was usually a pretty peaceful sleeper, but it looked as though the older girl had definitely tossed and turned a few times during the night. The future-born miko had a feeling that somebody would be asking to borrow her hairbrush when they finally woke up.

It took the fifteen-year-old a full five seconds to realize how odd it was that the taijiya was actually still asleep.

Usually, Kagome knew, she was the last one to rise, and almost always at Inuyasha's insistence. Otherwise, it was most often the sounds of everyone else shuffling around her as they rose for the day that would awaken her in turn. So how had she managed to wake up before her friends? Or more accurately, since it wasn't really all that early, how had her friends managed to stay asleep for so long? Straining her ears to pick up any noise from the other side of the dividing screen revealed that Miroku was indeed also still asleep on the other side of the room, as Kagome easily picked up on the even sound of his breathing.

_That's really…odd…_she realized slowly.

Maybe there were high levels of Tryptophan or something in what they'd eaten last night, and she was more acclimated to the amino acid from being from the future and consuming things like chocolate? Kagome wanted to snort at the absurdity of her logic, but decided against making the sound in favor of letting her friends sleep-in a bit longer. They were probably just really worn out; they _had _all been pushing themselves a bit further than usual in the last few days, steadily walking uphill as they ascended the mountain the farming village was nestled against. That must explain why Inuyasha hadn't woken her, because he had seen how all three of them had clearly been in need of more rest. Kagome smiled to herself at the realization that he was being conscientious of their human needs, after all.

It was only another twenty minutes or so before both Sango and Miroku started to stir, and they greeted Kagome cheerfully to discover their miko companion already awake herself, grabbing breakfast bars for them from her backpack.

"Oh, Kagome-chan, you should save your rations." Sango said as the girl handed her one of said breakfast bars, although she did eagerly accept the gift Kagome held out in her other hand…her hairbrush. "I'm sure they will be preparing some kind of a meal for us this morning." the taijiya added as she began working loose her tangles.

"True…" Kagome agreed hesitantly, "Although, given Inuyasha's opinions yesterday, we should probably abide by his wishes and get ready to leave as soon as possible."

Sango sent Kagome a funny look that the miko didn't quite know how to identify before the slayer shrugged her shoulders, and said, "Inuyasha can't possibly expect us to head back out on the road with no food in our bellies. If you want to just eat one of those bars from your time, that's up to you, but I for one would like this chance to eat some _real _food."

Kagome wrinkled her nose at the slayer's words, not because she found the other girl's opinion of her breakfast bars insulting, but because she actually agreed with Sango…those bars were hardly what she would call 'food', herself. Still, they were nutritious, designed to give long-lasting energy, and quick to eat. On the other hand, one day in which they could eat somebody else's breakfast instead meant one more day's worth of breakfast bars she'd still have in her backpack, which in turn would then mean one more day before she would need to return home to restock their supplies. Inuyasha would be able to follow that line of logic, right?

From the look in Miroku's eyes, Kagome gathered that he was equally torn, but eventually the houshi agreed with Sango as he stated, "I am sure Inuyasha will be reluctant, yet accommodating."

That said, everyone went about gathering their belongings before heading outdoors to great the day.

"Good morning!" called several of the local farmers who were working in the vegetable garden nearest the village Inn.

"Good morning, indeed!" Miroku returned jubilantly, before inquiring as to whether or not there truly were any prestanding arrangements for some sort of breakfast.

After being informed that they would indeed be provided with a morning meal, everyone headed back towards the main hall in which dinner had been served the night before. Glancing around the village as they went, everything seemed just as peaceful as it had the previous day, children running and laughing, farmers tending to their gardens or livestock, but one thought prevented Kagome from enjoying the scenery as much as she had the day before. Where was Inuyasha?

~o~o~o~o~o~

Breakfast was uneventful, though the miko had mixed feelings about that fact, having been half-expecting, if not hoping, that Inuyasha's angry form would've shown up at any time demanding to know just what the hell they all thought they were doing by lollygagging around. Now, as they sat around the front steps to the Inn's main building, Miroku lightly meditating and Sango polishing Hiraikotsu, Kagome was truly beginning to worry.

"Hey, you guys don't suppose something's happened to him, do you?" she asked her friends hesitantly, even as she knew they had no more information about Inuyasha's apparent disappearance than she did.

"Inuyasha is quite capable of taking care of himself." Miroku responded in a reassuring tone of voice, before opening his eyes and meeting her own as he added, "Considering his unease within the village, I suspect he has taken it upon himself to scout the road a bit further."

"But last night he said that he wanted _all _of us out of here first thing in the morning."

Sango snorted at that.

"Sure doesn't seem like he's in that big of a hurry any more, does it? Not that I mind…it sure is nice to finally be able to relax for a day or two."

_A day or two? _Kagome wondered, confused. _Since when?_

"Well, I'm kind of anxious to get back out on the road again, actually." she said, and surprisingly, it was true.

It wasn't that she didn't like it there, but they could hardly just hang around for no reason, no matter how eager the locals were to welcome them. They had a very serious mission to complete, after all.

"I am inclined to agree with you, Kagome-sama." Miroku spoke up in that moment, choosing to tuck Sango's unexpected words away for further analysis at a later time. "However, considering our infamous leader appears to be missing in action, I would say we hardly have any available options but to await his return."

"But even if he did leave to go scout the roads a bit further, surely he would've been back by now." Kagome insisted. "What if something's happened to him? What if he needs our help?"

"What if you quit worrying so much and just enjoy the peace and quiet of such a pleasant morning?" Sango chimed in, although there was a definite playful twinge to her sarcasm, as she winked at Kagome with a friendly smile.

_Sango-chan's right…what am I worrying for? _the miko tried to convince herself. _Just like Miroku-sama said, Inuyasha can take care of himself_.

Inuyasha had probably just been scouting ahead during the earliest hours of morning, and then perhaps he'd come upon some sort of trouble in the next village over, like a youkai problem that needed immediate attention, so then he hadn't had the time to come back for them first. That didn't mean that _he _was actually in any sort of trouble. Kagome knew that Inuyasha could very easily handle himself in most situations, and if it would've been something that he really couldn't have taken care of all on his own, then he surely would've come back for them before just jumping right into the thick of things by himself. But if it was something he could handle on his own, and they'd desperately needed his help right then and there, what was he supposed to do? It wasn't like he had a cell phone and could just give them a quick buzz to let them know he was running late. Kagome was sure that he had faith in them to know not to move from where he'd left them before he had a chance to come back for them. What if they went wandering off and then he showed back up after they were gone? Then he'd have to go tracking them down, which she was sure he wouldn't appreciate very much.

Deciding with finality to stop worrying about it, at least for the time being, Kagome decided to switch topics. Or at least…she _hoped _the new topic was unrelated.

"Say, neither of you guys have seen Shippou-chan running around, have you? He missed breakfast."

Sango gave her a somewhat puzzled expression while Miroku looked more thoughtful. "I had presumed that he had already eaten, and was playing somewhere with the local village children, as he usually does whenever there are children around his age to run and play with whenever we stop at a village."

"Yeah…that was what I'd figured, too." the miko admitted, adding, "I just wish he would've said something before just up and taking off before I woke up." _I don't mind him running around and playing for as long as he can, but he's always asked my permission first before just up and running off_.

Kagome was seriously starting to wonder if Inuyasha and Shippou's absences that morning were somehow related. Then there was Kirara, who had also disappeared, though at first she'd just assumed that the nekomata was keeping an eye on Shippou, as Kirara nearly always went with the kitsune whenever he ventured off on his own in some strange village. Of course, there was the possibility, however remote, that Shippou had actually decided to go with Inuyasha on his morning trek, but then that didn't explain the nekomata's absence, because neither she nor Inuyasha would've been willing to leave the mortal members of their group behind with _no _demonic supervision. It just didn't make any sense that they hadn't seen any of their three demonic members all morning long, especially considering how adamant Inuyasha had been the night before that they would be leaving the village as early as possible. Silently shaking her head, Kagome realized in that moment that despite Sango's intentions, she simply could not _not _worry about what might've happened. She knew that worrying logically wouldn't change anything, but she simply couldn't force herself to act as though she didn't care one way or the other. Honestly, she couldn't see how Sango made it look so easy.

"I guess I may as well get some studying done."

"There ya go." the taijiya answered with a grin.

Rummaging her math book out of her backpack, Kagome turned to the page with the bookmark sticking out of it, knowing full-well that she wouldn't be able to absorb any of the equations staring back at her from the book's pages, given her current line of thought.

~o~o~o~o~o~

As mid-morning turned into late morning and then mid-day, the miko's concerns grew more and more severe. Sitting as she was on the front steps that led up to the raised platform the village Inn was built upon, the miko couldn't help noticing the irony behind how she felt like an abandoned little puppy awaiting its master's return. Not _literally_…but that foreboding feeling that runs through the simple yet loyal minds of most household pets whenever their owners leave for extended periods of time was exactly the same type of foreboding she could feel taking over her whole body in that moment. Was that how Inuyasha felt whenever she left through the well? But he at least _knew _that she was coming back during those times! She always took the necessary moment to say goodbye before departure, he always knew exactly where she was, and he could even go to her if he so chose. The situation Kagome suddenly found herself in in that moment was nowhere _near_ the same thing. She had no idea where he'd gone or what had happened to him once he got there. She couldn't get her leg to stop bouncing, and she kept glancing in every direction every five seconds, as if she were paranoid somebody was going to kidnap her.

She was paranoid all right, though at least not for any reason like _that_. She was just hoping to catch a glimpse of red during one of the times her eyes skimmed over her peaceful surroundings. Peaceful surroundings she couldn't have cared less about in that moment.

The miko had to admit it; everyone in the farming village was awfully nice. She could see why so many people had decided to relocate there. Nobody seemed very concerned whenever she mentioned her missing friends, but then again, they didn't know Inuyasha like she did, and they'd also been oblivious to his distress from before. Kagome didn't want to be rude by telling anyone bluntly to their face how badly Inuyasha had hated it in their village. One good piece of news came to her however, when one of the farmers on the outskirts by the main road confirmed for her that he had indeed seen Inuyasha heading out that morning just before dawn. So it looked as though Miroku's theory had been correct, after all. Supposedly.

Unless…

No, there was no way Inuyasha had actually decided to just up and _leave _them there, was there? It wasn't like they'd had a fight. He hadn't even been angry with any of them the night before! Well…perhaps he'd been a little perturbed, but that had only been because he hadn't trusted the farmers, which meant that there was no _way _he would've decided to just up and leave them there unprotected. At least not her…Kagome was sure. He might figure that Miroku and Sango could handle themselves, but there was no way he would've intentionally left his precious little shard-detector behind, especially considering she was carrying their precious little jewel shards. No, he must've just been going for a walk, just scouting ahead, and then something had happened, but hopefully it would turn out to be a 'something' that he could take care of on his own.

Still, if he didn't show himself after much longer, Kagome was seriously considering starting a search party. And what of Shippou and Kirara, truly?

Several of the villagers had assured her that their mountain was a safe place for children to play, and that a lot of the local kids went down the western slope to slosh around in the mud near the rice patties. Several people had also said that they'd seen Shippou and Kirara running around with the other children down the slope. Kagome supposed she could buy Shippou being hesitant to return if the kitsune had gotten himself thoroughly covered in mud. Perhaps he had traveled further downstream afterwards to wash up? Wherever he was, the miko was sure that Kirara was with him, since the nekomata would never let little Shippou wander so far by himself, and that one farmer had already confirmed that Inuyasha had been alone when he'd headed up the main road that morning.

_Inuyasha…what happened to you?_

By the time lunchtime rolled around Kagome was a nervous wreck, though Miroku offered her a supportive hand on her shoulder, which quickly moved to her back.

"Any lower and you won't have to worry about the kazaana any more, 'cause you won't have a right hand." Kagome snapped, though there was a definite twinge of amusement in her voice, which had been Miroku's goal all along.

"I am so misunderstood." he protested while holding both hands up in an innocent gesture, which caused Kagome's smile to widen even more, at least for a moment, before her face grew serious once again.

"If he doesn't return by the end of lunch, I'm going after him."

Nodding, Miroku conceded, stating, "It is unsafe and unwise for you to travel this mountain alone. We shall all make our departure after lunch."

~o~o~o~o~o~

"We can't leave yet."

"What do you mean 'we can't leave yet'?" Kagome asked, utterly baffled, aghast even, as she stared at Sango in disbelief over her response to the statement that they were going to be heading out to look for Inuyasha.

"I'm sorry, Kagome-chan." the slayer apologized then, explaining, "I just discovered during polishing my Hiraikotsu this morning that it has been developing some hairline fractures I've neglected to take care of during our travels. Under normal circumstances, back at my old home village, our weaponry would constantly undergo minor repairs and other routine maintenance here and there, to ensure everything stayed in top condition. Out on the road, I've been unable to properly take care of Hiraikotsu, but now that I know it has these tiny cracks, they _must _be repaired before I dare use it again in battle."

Nodding, Kagome could definitely understand the importance of Sango's need to get her weapon back in top working condition as quickly as possible, but…

"But don't you need to go back to the taijiya village in order to repair your weapon?"

Shaking her head, Sango told the miko, "Arata used to be a sword smith before deciding to settle down here, and he's already told me that he would be able to mend the tiny fractures in Hiraikotsu for me. He's worked with demonic weaponry before."

Kagome just stared at Sango like she had grown a second head. Oh sure, she could buy that the man from dinner last night actually knew how to repair Hiraikotsu, and even that he somehow had the necessary equipment with him in order to do it, but how long had they been traveling together as a group? Sango still wouldn't even address Miroku by his first name, and suddenly she's so familiar with one of the local villagers that she's referring to him informally, without any sort of an honorific? Then again, the few times Kagome had picked up on bits and pieces of conversations between the other villagers, it seemed like none of them had used any honorifics with each other, either, so if Arata had actually asked Sango to address him as such…

Shaking her head a second time, Kagome argued with herself that there were _much _more important things to worry about than how the slayer had ended up being on a first-name basis with some of the villagers.

"How long is it going to take?" she asked the taijiya then, watching as the girl's hand raised to run along the strap going across her shoulder, as if only just then realizing that in order to get her weapon repaired, she must first hand it over to the guy at some point in time.

"I was just going to take it over to him right now." she answered, and although she couldn't rightfully say why, Kagome had the distinct impression that Sango wasn't really being honest.

But why would the taijiya lie to her like that? It was almost as if she were deliberately trying to postpone their departure, but why would she do that? It was almost like she knew something they didn't…

_Oh kami…_

What if…what if Inuyasha _had_ willingly headed out of the village very early that morning, but for an entirely different reason than scouting out the next few miles of road? If he had gone to see _her _again, then that would definitely explain his sudden change of heart regarding how important it was that the lot of them pack up and head out come morning's first light. He probably even figured that he was doing them all a favor, giving them a little 'time off' as she had phrased it in the past, an expression from her time that he had quickly learned the meaning of, and had also quickly decided he didn't like.

_Calm down Kagome…don't jump to conclusions that'll end up making you angry with Inuyasha the first moment you see him_.

The last thing she wanted to do was _osuwari _the guy the minute he returned, especially if her sudden fears regarding Kikyou's beckoning were unjust. Anything could've happened, from him coming across a youkai with a jewel shard he had decided to give chase of knowing that he couldn't let the opportunity pass him by, to indeed stumbling upon a village in need of his immediate assistance with some crisis or another, not giving him any opportunity to contact them first regarding the situation, as his even temporary departure could've meant countless deaths.

Granted, that last scenario was a little out there, but Kagome really didn't want to entertain the more plausible possibilities. One of Naraku's incarnations showing up and challenging him to a fight, Sesshoumaru showing up and challenging him to a fight, Kouga showing up and _goading _him into a fight… The possibilities were truly endless. Part of the miko actually found herself hoping that he _had_ left them all that morning because of Kikyou, because if that were the case, then she was at least fairly certain that _that _outcome wouldn't result in him getting physically injured. Kikyou no longer had the immediate desire to drag Inuyasha into Hell. 'Immediate' being a keyword there, but still…the undead miko currently had no plans of going anywhere, with or without Inuyasha, until after the defeat of Naraku. So if Inuyasha were truly with Kikyou, as depressing as that thought was, then at least he was safe.

Which brought Kagome back around to her thoughts regarding Sango's somewhat strange behavior over most of the day. If the slayer was aware of what had become of Inuyasha, but had either been sworn to secrecy or had taken it upon herself to not cause the miko any unnecessary heartache, then that would definitely explain Sango's apparent lack of concern regarding his well-being. That would also explain why Sango had so unexpectedly slept-in that morning…if she had actually already been awake and had then managed to get herself back into bed without disturbing the others.

_I should just come out and ask her about it_…the miko knew, although she was hesitant to cause the very drama that Sango herself had probably worked so hard to avoid.

Sighing to herself, the miko grew tired of gazing after Sango's departed form, as the taijiya had long ago disappeared from sight on her way to Arata's workshop.

Turning and heading back into their room, as the Inn Keeper had already told them that it was theirs for however long they needed it, Kagome was surprised to find Miroku quietly meditating while sitting against the wall. She didn't want to disturb him, and was just about to head back out when his voice interrupted her thoughts.

"So it seems we are not departing yet, after all."

Turning to gaze back in his direction, Kagome had to wonder how the monk could maintain such focused meditation while simultaneously engaging in conversation. His attempts to enter a deeper meditative state had probably failed, too many concerns beginning to grow in his own mind to focus on concentrating on nothing.

"So it seems." Kagome acknowledged, adding, "Apparently, Sango-chan's Hiraikotsu has some fine hairline fractures along its surface that need to be repaired to ensure its strength."

"So…" he responded slowly, opening his eyes to meet Kagome's concerned gaze with a worried look of his own. "She told you that lie as well."

Even though she had started to suspect, Kagome still gasped at Miroku's blunt accusation. "How do you…?"

"I was sitting beside her in light meditation this morning for nearly the entire time she was polishing her Hiraikotsu, and not once did Sango ever mention having discovered any cracks along its surface." he admitted to Kagome, before elaborating. "I also find it extremely disconcerting, her apparent lack of concern regarding Inuyasha's welfare. While I admit to not having immediately shared in your concerns, myself, I had honestly been expecting his return long before now, and I too grow more worried as time goes by."

Sitting on her legs across from Miroku's position, Kagome rubbed her arms in worry, goosebumps that had nothing to do with the temperature forming underneath her long white sleeves.

"What if…what if he didn't wander off to check the road?" she asked him hesitantly.

Miroku was just about to ask Kagome what she meant, but then realized that he didn't need to, his eyes widening in realization as he recognized the distinctive look of dejection in her own. There was no question as to what Kagome had considered as an alternate possibility for Inuyasha's disappearance.

"Has Sango told you this?"

"No…" Kagome admitted, "I just…sorta wondered. If she knew, but didn't want to say anything, then that would definitely explain her behavior and excuses."

"True…" Miroku agreed, nodding briefly. "However, in our growing concern regarding what may or may not have happened to Inuyasha, let us not forget about little Shippou, or Kirara."

Kagome's eyes widened.

"There's still no sign of them? I thought somebody said they'd gone down into the bogs to play with the other children?"

"Yes…a few of the villagers told me the same thing."

"You sound like you don't believe them."

"Do you?"

The miko sighed wearily before admitting, "I don't know what to believe any more. We can't just keep sitting around doing nothing, though."

"What would you suggest we do?" the houshi questioned then. "Under normal circumstances, to launch a search for Inuyasha we would enlist the aid of Kirara, or to attempt to locate either Kirara or Shippou, we would require Inuyasha's sense of smell."

"So because all three of them are missing at the same time, we're shit outta luck?"

Miroku blinked in surprise, truly taken aback by Kagome's choice of language, which just went to show how mentally exhausted the miko was becoming. Sango's unusual behavior certainly wasn't helping matters any. Then to top it all off, Miroku had begun feeling strangely, as though something were attempting to trickle into his mind. However, he couldn't be certain if he was really sensing something out of the ordinary, or if it was his own worrisome mind concocting paranoia, and he had no desire to unnecessarily alarm Kagome any further. He had been able to keep a handle on himself through meditation throughout the day, and he was fairly certain that whatever it was – assuming it wasn't his own imagination – it would not be able to cloud his judgment.

"While I understand and share your concerns," Miroku started then, "I do not want you wandering off on your own in an attempt to find our demonic companions. Nor do I truly feel secure with the notion of leaving Sango here unattended were I to accompany you. Something tells me that whatever has happened to Inuyasha and the others, the answers are here, within the village. For this reason, I believe we should start our search here."

Nodding silently, Kagome knew Miroku was right.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Dinner that night was the single most uncomfortable experience of Kagome's life. Everyone was laughing and chitchatting merrily about this or that…including Sango…which left her feeling like the unpopular kid in the school cafeteria. Miroku was doing his best to play along, having told her in a brief whisper that until he could figure out what was truly up with Sango's strange behavior, he did not wish to confront her about it directly. So there he was, along with everybody else, talking and joking and commenting about how delicious the food was. He sent her the occasional brief look that let Kagome know she wasn't truly alone, but she sure felt that way, considering she didn't have anywhere near the acting abilities of Miroku.

After dinner was finally over, it was under the pretence of wanting to go for a peaceful walk through the village, to better appreciate the beauty of everything around them, that the houshi managed to excuse himself and Kagome from continuing to visit with everyone else. Unsurprisingly, Sango opted to stay behind with her new best friends, discussing battle techniques with the sword smith who was supposedly working on repairing Hiraikotsu, while one of the local seamstresses admired the craftsmanship of the taijiya's leather outfit, asking her if she could help her learn how to sew something similar.

Once the miko and houshi were alone, Kagome spoke up.

"I can't take it any more, Miroku-sama. What's going on? Is Sango-chan possessed?"

Miroku was about to answer that he had started to suspect the same thing, but then even as that thought came to mind, he found himself arguing over how absurd such a notion truly sounded. What was so wrong with wanting to be friendly with the local villagers who were being so inviting and friendly in turn?

_But we have our mission to think about! _the monk abruptly reminded himself, counting to ten while taking deep, cleansing breaths. _We must collect the jewel shards and defeat Naraku_.

Oblivious to her companion's mental struggles, Kagome continued to voice her concerns.

"Something bad has definitely happened to Inuyasha, _and_ Shippou-chan _and_ Kirara. All three of them are missing, and I bet the villagers know something they're not telling us. What if they're really friendly to humans, but secretly hate all youkai? What if it's already too late to save them?"

The monk found his emotions torn at her words, stuck somewhere in between wanting to agree with her, and wanting to defend the villagers who were clearly not at fault. Still, the fact remained that _something _had happened to their demonic companions, and Miroku was inclined to agree with the miko that they would not simply have wandered off never to return of their own accord. Perhaps everyone in that village lived so happily and carefree because they had a youkai, or perhaps even kami protector, who secretly dispatched any other youkai in the near vicinity, thus ensuring everyone's safety? If the villagers themselves were unaware of their spiritual guardian, that would then explain their lack of warning, their welcome greetings to Inuyasha and the others. But the fact of the matter was that they were debating in a vacuum. There was no evidence to support foul play had been involved, and Miroku had been stretching his senses in an attempt to pick up even the slightest trace of a demonic aura, of which he could sense nothing, strongly suggesting that wherever Inuyasha and the others were, they were not secretly being held anywhere within the village.

"I suggest we try, despite our worrisome thoughts, to get as much sleep as we can tonight, then start with a fresh perspective in the morning."

"If you say so…" Kagome replied without bothering to conceal her doubt in Miroku's words.

Still, what could she do? Go wandering off by herself in the middle of the night, possibly getting herself kidnapped, raped, eaten or killed? Or how about all four, in that order? She was terribly worried for their friends, but she wasn't stupid, and she knew that without the support of Miroku _and _Sango, she truly had no hope of accomplishing anything on her own. It wasn't like Inuyasha was just some lost dog that had run away. She couldn't just step out a few feet onto the main road and start calling his name. What would that accomplish, besides letting any possible youkai in the area know the precise location of a nice tasty snack?

Making their way back to the village Inn, Kagome's dour mood went from bad to worse at the sight of Sango's cheerful disposition, as the taijiya merrily greeted both she and Miroku upon their return.

"Welcome home, you two." Sango said with a smile, and you couldn't have paid Kagome to believe it had been a simple slip of the tongue.

"Hey." she greeted unenthusiastically in return, feeling the beginnings of tears prickling her eyes as Sango cocked her head in confusion the same way Inuyasha would sometimes do.

"Kagome? Is something the matter?"

_No honorific_...

Passing a quick look between herself and Miroku, the miko was only marginally relieved to note how the monk apparently found Sango's behavior just as disturbing. Somehow summoning the strength from deeply within herself, she threw on her best fake smile, the one usually reserved for confrontations about Inuyasha with her three school friends.

"Oh, nope! Nothing's the matter! I'm just really tired is all; can't wait to get some sleep." the miko answered

Nodding and smiling at her friend's reassurance, Sango admonished lightly, "Well then get some sleep, silly. You shouldn't tire yourself out so much. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

Hoping that the slayer's words meant that Hiraikotsu would be repaired and they could finally get out on the road, Kagome didn't dare seek confirmation for fear that she was mistaken.

"Right then. Goodnight!" Kagome said cheerfully, her fake happiness making her stomach churn.

She guessed it was sometime around one or two in the morning when unconsciousness finally consumed her.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Kagome awoke the following morning silently praying to any kami that would listen that the previous day had all been a bad dream. Cracking her eyes open, she immediately recognized her surroundings and knew that at least arriving in the farming village had really happened, but what of everything else?

Slowly crawling out of her sleeping bag, the miko took a moment to glance around. She was alone in the room, unlike the previous morning, so quickly deciding to get up and at 'em, she readied herself to face the day before bravely heading outside.

The sight that greeted her had not been what she'd been expecting, even in her worst nightmares.

Sango and Miroku were both engaged in pleasant conversation with some of the other farmers, while they…dressed in simple yukata…also aided in the toils of tending to the vegetable garden.

Remaining where she stood, Kagome slowly brought both hands up to rub her eyes, counting to ten with her eyes closed before opening them once again.

_Shit…_

"Kagome! Good morning!" Sango greeted happily from her place in the garden, currently working on planting what looked like autumn cabbage.

"Heh…morning…" the miko responded with uncertainty, heading over towards the edge of the vegetable garden with trepidation in her steps. It didn't go unnoticed that Sango had once again dropped the suffix 'chan' from her name. "Big day ahead of us." she repeated carefully.

"Oh you're telling me!" Sango commented playfully, as she proceeded to ramble off a list of various chores that needed to be taken care of around the village before sunset.

"…plus Chiori's roof still needs a few new boards, and then…"

Kagome tuned her out, not caring about whose huts needed minor repair work, which vegetables still needed to be picked or planted, or how many goats needed to be milked. Who the hell was this woman and what had she done with Sango?

Turning to glare incredulously in Miroku's direction, Kagome sent the houshi a very _'Taking your acting a little too far, don't you think?' _look. The monk caught Kagome's expression and sent her a confused tilt of his head in return, which instantly had Kagome's heart stilling in her chest.

No…

Not Miroku too.

What was _wrong _with them? What was wrong with _her? _Was she the victim of some elaborate prank? Because if so, it wasn't funny! They didn't have reality shows in the Sengoku jidai, did they?

_What is going on? _Kagome shouted in her mind, all the while desperately trying not to give away her thoughts through her expression.

If her friends had truly fallen victim to some sort of invasion of the body snatchers, then the last thing she wanted to do was single herself out as an outsider in their eyes. Still…Kagome knew that her missing demonic friends aside, Sango and Miroku hadn't been kidnapped and replaced…these were still her same human friends, and the miko silently prayed that their real selves were still in there, somewhere.

"Miroku-sama…" she spoke up in that moment, phrasing her question very carefully. "Remember what we discussed last night?"

"Ah, yes, of course. How could I forget?" he asked rhetorically in return, his usual charm still firmly in place as he grinned her way friendlily. "I had suggested we sleep on it and start the day with a new perspective, and that is precisely what I have done." he answered her.

_Well hell, he's got me there_… the miko worried, chewing her bottom lip.

Oblivious to her troublesome thoughts, the houshi continued.

"I am quite certain that wherever Inuyasha and the others are, they are doing just fine on their own. Why worry over such things?"

Was it her imagination, or had he actually just suggested that they should stop thinking about the others all together?

"But…" Grasping for straws, Kagome's eyes lit up the tiniest bit as she thought of what to say. "Don't you want to defeat Naraku? To put an end to your family's curse? The kazaana could grow and take your life at any moment." she pointed out matter-of-factly.

Smiling, the monk-turned-farmer looped an arm around Sango's shoulders, earning a giggle from the slayer as he stated, "All the more reason to enjoy what few pleasures life has to offer, before they get taken away."

_That actually…kind of makes sense, but… No! Damn it! I won't let the appeal of this place suck me in too! _

"But while Naraku still lives, any children you would have will possess the curse as well."

He merely shrugged, not even bothering with a verbal reply as Sango chose that moment to whisper something in his ear that had him looking thoughtful for a moment before his playful grin was back in place.

The exchange did not go unnoticed by the future-born miko.

_What did she say to him? Just what are those two plotting? _

"We can't go anywhere yet, anyway." Sango spoke up in that moment, explaining, "Hiraikotsu is going to take a little longer to repair than we'd originally thought. So, since we're going to be staying here for a few more days, we may as well enjoy it, right?"

"And…" Miroku chimed in in that moment, as he picked up his gardening tool and resumed his toiling, "…it would be far too rude of us to not repay the hospitality of the villagers by sharing in some of the workload. We are eating their food, after all."

_That kind of makes sense, too…_ Kagome thought, though a sudden tingling sensation against her chest quickly drew her attention to the bottle of jewel shards hanging around her neck, tucked within her shirt.

_The shards! _

"We shouldn't stick around for too long, though, if we can help it. Our jewel shards might start attracting lower youkai if we remain in one location for too long, and without Inuyasha, or even the Hiraikotsu…" Kagome stated next, deliberately letting her words trail off as she hoped to make her point clear. It was for the well being of the villagers themselves that they shouldn't make themselves at home. The shards would only bring trouble. That was believable, right?

It was Miroku who spoke up in reply to her latest argument, as he stated, "I am sure my spiritual powers, as well as the kazaana, will be more than sufficient to protect against whatever lower beasts may choose to seek the shards during our stay. However,"

Kagome's heart had started to sink further and further at Miroku's quick dismissal of her latest argument, until she found herself looking back up with the slightest flicker of hope as he paused in his speech.

"I am not this village's sole line of defense, should a threat truly appear that is beyond what I can handle on my own." he stated then. "Daisuke…" He paused, gesturing towards one of the carpenters currently working on one of the huts, "…was a traveling spiritual practitioner before settling in this village, and his spiritual powers are equal to, if not even stronger than my own."

Kagome's heart finished sinking so fast, she could swear she heard a splash as it landed in her empty stomach.

"I…see…" she answered slowly.

Truth be told, the miko had no idea what to say. She was fresh out of ideas. She could only hope that Inuyasha eventually managed to break himself out of wherever he was being held hostage and would come back for her. In the mean time, it was obviously no use trying to talk any sense into her friends; their minds were clearly made up. Still, Kagome clung onto the marginal speck of hope that had been provided by their implications that they would only be staying for another couple of days or so. She could hang on for that long…couldn't she?

Unconsciously, her right hand rose to grip the jewel shards through her shirt.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Kagome didn't bother pretending to enjoy herself during dinner that night. The miko was quickly spiraling into a depression, having convinced herself that the demonic members of their group were already dead, and there was nothing left for her to do but wait for her mind to be sucked out of her head along with everyone else's. Why had she not yet succumbed to whatever had brainwashed her friends? Was it in the air? Was it in the food? She had been eating the meals provided for her by the villagers, so surely whatever drugs their dinners were being spiked with should start affecting her as well.

_Is this how it ends…living merrily and obliviously as a peaceful farmer? _

Granted, there were plenty of worse fates out there, which was the main fear that had kept Kagome from running away in the middle of the night. If the choices were becoming hypnotized or becoming some lowly beasts next meal, then she would take the less painful defeat.

But even as those thoughts started plaguing her, a little voice in the back of her head urged her not to give up hope. They had faced mind-controlling illusions in the past, on multiple occasions, actually. Randomly, Kagome recalled the time that she'd been stuck in that moth-youkai's cocoon, along with the rest of her companions, and she had very nearly given up hope then, too, until thoughts of Inuyasha had given her and their friends the strength to fight off the spell.

_For you…Inuyasha…I will not give up so easily_.

Walking back with Sango and Miroku to the village Inn was a surreal experience, as she lingered behind a few steps, observing the seemingly innocent conversation taking place between the slayer and houshi. Never mind the fact that Sango had started addressing Miroku by name, or that the monk had actually managed to get two gropes in without so much as a scolding look in reprimand, but the two were chatting casually about what they planned on trying to get done around the village throughout the next few days. It was as if the two of them had thoroughly decided to make the farming village their new home, and to _hell _with defeating Naraku. The miko was honestly surprised that neither of them had started mentioning construction of their own hut yet.

Then again, Kagome got the distinct impression that they were watching what they said around her, at least to some degree. It was almost as if they were just humoring her notion of them only remaining there temporarily until she finally became one of them. Everyone at dinner that night had been extra careful around her, too, Kagome recalled, various people having gone out of their way to ask her how she was feeling, or if she wanted seconds or thirds of any particular item. They weren't avoiding her as an outsider as she had feared might be the case if she didn't play along, but rather, everyone was apparently going out of their way to be even nicer towards her. The best analogy she could think of, with keeping with her previous analogy of herself in the role of abandoned puppy, would be that everyone was acting as though she were a skittish wild dog they were attempting to sooth into accepting food from their hands.

_It's okay, Kagome…_she cooed sarcastically in her mind, giving her thoughts Sango's placating voice. _It's such a beautiful day today…see the pretty village? Don't you want to come help us with the vegetables? There's a good Kagome! _

She stopped walking for a second.

"Ugh, I'm really losing it." she muttered quietly, though not quietly enough.

Miroku and Sango turned around from their spots a few paces ahead.

"Is everything all right, Kagome?" asked Miroku with a genuine air of concern.

"Oh, sure…I'm fine, Miroku-" She had to mentally stop herself from adding "sama" at the end of his name.

Sango frowned, picking up on her friend's obvious distress.

"You really don't like it here, do you Kagome?" Sango asked, and for some reason, the question gave her the creeps.

"Oh, no…it isn't that…" the miko attempted to assure her brainwashed companion. "It's just that…well…don't you want to get revenge on Naraku for what he did to your family?" she tried then. Hoping against hope to reach something of the true slayer that lay buried beneath the hypnotic spell. "Aren't you concerned for your brother?"

Sango just stared at Kagome with some strange combination of pity and disappointment in her gaze. Finally, the slayer looked as though she had thought of something to say in response, though Kagome doubted she would like hearing it very much. Fortunately, it was in that moment that movement from down the road that led into the farming community caught Kagome's attention, and she used it as the perfect distraction to get her friends' attention off herself.

"Hey, look guys!" she said with forced enthusiasm, pointing toward the two travelers coming in from the same road they had used themselves two days prior.

Immediately shifting their focus from Kagome, Miroku and Sango moved forward to greet the new visitors as if they themselves were not simply visitors to that village. It really had Kagome wondering about how many other people had claimed to move there, all of the other people who openly admitted to having relocated to that village, having previously lived somewhere else. Had they actually _moved _to that village, or had they simply never left after having stopped there for a night? While it seemed to have taken Miroku an extra day, Kagome couldn't ignore how quickly the change had come over Sango. Maybe Miroku's spiritual powers had protected him for a while? But that thought only brought worry to the miko, knowing that her own spiritual powers were nowhere near as trained as Miroku's were, and since his powers hadn't fully protected _him_…

The miko was pulled from her renewed spiral of depression when she realized that the new arrivals were being shown to the village Inn for the night.

_Not if I have any say in the matter_.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Not finding any difficulty with staying awake, thanks to her troublesome thoughts, Kagome waited until well into the middle of the night to ensure everyone else would be deeply asleep before she snuck from her sleeping bag and tiptoed out of their room, down the hall and towards the sliding door she knew led into the room the new travelers had been given by the Inn Keeper. It was a good thing Sengoku period shoji screens didn't have locks.

"Hey…" she whispered, hoping the husband and wife would not be too startled by her sudden appearance in their room.

"What on Ear-!"

"Shhhhhh!" Kagome shushed quickly, and the genuine fear the man could read in her eyes instantly had him sealing his lips. As his wife sprang awake beside him he quickly gestured for her to be quiet as well, as he indicated Kagome's presence with a point of his finger.

Smiling briefly as she realized she had successfully gotten the travelers' attention, Kagome kneeled on the floor to appear less threatening to the couple still lying only partially propped up on their futon.

"Please forgive this rude intrusion…" she started quickly, whispering just loud enough to ensure they would hear her. "But you mustn't stay here." she added.

Growing truly concerned, the man asked carefully, "What do you mean?"

"There is something going on in this village, though I don't understand what it is. But my friends have been bewitched, choosing to settle down here, discarding their own clothing, discarding the importance of our journey we had been embarking upon. I don't know why I haven't been affected myself, but I just had to warn you. Leave now before whatever magics that reside here take your minds."

Thoroughly frightened, the man spoke hastily to his wife. "Come on!" he said with hushed urgency, as he rose from his futon and began dressing in his outer robes, not bothering to remove the sleeping yukata he was wearing. His wife quickly followed suit.

"Won't you come with us?" the woman asked Kagome in that moment, and she had to pause before answering, because part of her was really tempted.

"I cannot abandon my friends."

Kagome knew better than to mention that she also had demonic friends that had gone missing altogether. She was afraid that any mention of being friends with youkai or hanyou would immediately destroy her credibility in their eyes. As it was, she was lucky they had not thought her deranged merely for her strange manner of dress, as she was currently wearing the pajamas of her own time and not the sleeping yukata that had been provided for her by the Inn Keeper. Watching them go, Kagome prayed she had done the right thing, and also that the couple remained quiet during their escape. The last thing she wanted was anybody waking up and discovering her awake also, along with their two missing guests, and putting two and two together. That last thought had the miko quickly scurrying back into her own room, Miroku and Sango still sound asleep as she tiptoed back to bed.

The following morning Kagome was met with a new surprise, as she found herself rousing at the sounds of Miroku and Sango getting ready for the day.

"Well, good morning sleepy head." Sango greeted cheerfully, but the unhealthy, sunken-in look to her face had the miko unable to improv a pleasant reply.

"Sango…?" she asked hesitantly. There were dark bags under the slayer's eyes, and even her hair seemed less shiny than usual.

"Of course it's me, silly." the slayer teased, either unaware or uncaring of her appearance.

"Kagome, are you quite sure you are feeling all right?" Miroku asked in that moment, presumably in reply to her reassurance from the night before. "You don't look well." he added.

_Speak for yourself_… the miko thought in rising concern, observing the way Miroku's face also appeared slightly thinner than usual; his eyes less brilliant, his posture slouched.

_It's like whatever has taken over their minds is slowly feeding off of their life-force_.

Managing to snap herself out of her daze long enough to focus on replying with something _other _than a horror-filled scream, Kagome did her best to throw on what was left of her once-perfected fake smile as she swallowed her concerns and feigned an apology.

"I'm sorry for worrying you guys…" she began, "…but to be honest, I really _haven't_ been feeling well lately. Maybe I'm coming down with something?"

Instantly, Sango and Miroku were both looking at her with concern reflected in their sunken, heavy eyes. The miko momentarily entertained the possibility of renewing her argument to leave under the new pretence of needing to return home for some of her time's medicine, but before the words could leave her lips she decided against it, knowing the attempt would most likely be futile. Besides, running away wasn't the answer. Even if she could somehow miraculously get Miroku and Sango to agree to leave the village with her, if she gave them the impression that their departure would only be temporary, Kagome could never in her right mind abandon their other friends, no matter _what _may have happened to them. So…while she was still _in _her right mind, she was bound and determined to see this thing through to the end. One thing Miroku had said to her the night before last still rang true in her ears. Whatever had happened to Inuyasha and the others, the answers were there, within the village.

"Maybe some breakfast will do you some good." Sango spoke up in that moment, effectively pulling Kagome from her thoughts, though only just on the surface.

"Definitely couldn't hurt, right?" she replied with what she hoped was a grin.

_Apparently, it won't hurt, since even if it's in the food, I seem to be immune to whatever is affecting everyone else_.

Breakfast was distressing, to say the least. First and foremost, the miko had to fight the urge to stare at everyone in shock and disgust. It seemed that every single villager was wasting away before her very eyes, sunken-in faces, missing patches of hair, missing teeth… Truly, Sango and Miroku had gotten off lucky, so far. When Kagome caught wind of some of the villagers talking about the 'poor souls' who for some reason had decided not to stay in their room overnight…travelers who had apparently fallen victim to a vicious, albeit rare bear attack upon leaving the village in the middle of the night, she nearly lost it.

Gasping at overhearing that part of the conversation, she mentally cringed at the way Miroku and Sango both glanced up from their meals to gaze at her with mixed looks of appraisal and concern. Quickly, she adlibbed with the first thing to come to mind. "There are bears around here?"

Softening her eyes in an understanding manner, Sango spoke as if to relieve her friend's worries, giving off the impression that she had lived in that village all her life as she assured Kagome, "The bears usually stick to the higher altitude of the mountain's summit. It's very unusual that one would venture so far down."

"We've sent out a hunting party to be sure it isn't still hanging around too close to our borders." Miroku added.

Silently, Kagome nodded, again having no idea what to say to her once-companions, and feeling horribly overwhelmed by guilt for what had apparently become of the young couple from the night before. Add on top of that the fear that somebody would discover the hand she'd played in the couple's sudden decision to leave during the night, and the miko was officially a nervous wreck. She wished she had paid closer attention back when Miroku had attempted to show her meditative techniques once or twice. She knew she could've certainly used the focus and clarity in that moment.

Kagome spent her fourth day in the farming village in a haze, guilt racking her mind for getting that innocent couple killed. And she wasn't so sure she believed there had truly been a bear involved, which only frightened her further.

When it was time for dinner that night, Kagome politely refused, playing up the lie that she hadn't been feeling well, which really wasn't a lie at all. But she knew there was no way she could stand being in the company of the entire village in that moment, she wasn't hungry, and she didn't care any more about making herself look like an outsider.

It was with matching looks caught in between concern and disappointment that Miroku and Sango eventually relented, letting her stay behind in their room while the two of them went off to enjoy the evening meal without her. As soon as they were out of sight, Kagome shuddered and how rapidly their health had started failing them.

That was another thing she hadn't wanted to deal with, a whole sea of villagers on the verge of looking like the walking dead.

Sure, some of them had been a tad on the thin side even back on their first night, but she couldn't imagine that they could've carried on for very long if she were to base it on how fast Sango and Miroku were deteriorating before her very eyes. It was almost as if whatever had been happening slowly over the years had suddenly been given a power-boost. Her chest tingled again, drawing her attention once more to the little bottle of crystals she wore around her neck.

_Could the jewel shards be speeding up whatever is happening to them? _she worried, plagued with even more feelings of guilt until she took note of how pure the shards still looked as she pulled the bottle out from under her shirt to examine them.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't the shards, but whatever it was, if she didn't find a way to put a stop to it, she would find herself alone in a village of corpses before much longer.

Abruptly nodding to herself in determination, Kagome chose to make use of her current alone time to do some reconnaissance.

~o~o~o~o~o~

_Damn it all to the fifth hell_… the miko silently cursed, concern over her language being the furthest thought from her mind as she scurried through the village as silently as she could muster.

It had been nearly an hour, and she knew that dinner would be coming to a close before too much longer. True, most of the villagers usually stayed in the great hall and chatted it up for awhile after finishing their evening meal, but she couldn't risk Sango and Miroku returning back to their room to find her missing. While she had been hoping to be able to pick up on some sort of sign of Inuyasha's youki, she'd felt nothing. No matter how many buildings she touched, and no matter how widely she stretched her senses, she'd felt nothing in the entire time she'd been sneaking around. She wasn't sure what else she could do, besides either making the split decision to run away or hightail it back to the Inn before her friends discovered she'd wandered off.

The miko hadn't realized how closely she'd actually gotten to the infamous dining hall until the muffled sound of voices began drifting up to her on the night breeze. Maybe she should see if Sango and Miroku were still there, because if they were then she'd know she had time to make it back to the room before them, and if they weren't then at least she'd know that she had better start thinking up some kind of an excuse for her absence.

What the miko discovered upon slipping herself within close enough proximity to the outdoor dining area to see and hear most of the occupants had her quickly forgetting all about running back to the village Inn, as the sound of her own name on the breeze had her immediately holding her breath to eavesdrop on the mass group's conversation.

"She is not becoming." somebody said in a concerned voice.

Kagome hadn't bothered learning all of the villagers' names like Sango and Miroku had.

_Who's not becoming what? _she wondered in confusion, at first thinking the person had meant somebody was unattractive…which would be the understatement of the year in regard to _any _of the village women by that point. But somebody had definitely said her own name. Was somebody actually calling _her _ugly?

"Give it time." Miroku spoke up in that moment, which instantly captured Kagome's full attention, her focus glued to the secret village meeting unfolding right before her. The village itself could have exploded behind her and she wouldn't have noticed.

"It took myself longer to become because of my spiritual powers." Miroku continued in that moment, leaving no room for doubt in Kagome's mind as to what, precisely, they were talking about, and whom.

"I agree." spoke up another man, Daisuke, if Kagome's memory served. "It takes those with spiritual powers longer to become, and the girl is a miko. I say we give it more time."

"And I say we have already waited too long." somebody else spoke up, a haggard looking old woman who almost could have passed for Kaede's evil twin except for possessing both eyes. The skin on her arm hung as loosely as her sleeve as she pointed an accusing bony finger at both Sango and Miroku. "It was her meddling that lost us two new ones." she said, and Kagome immediately felt her heart, which had yet to rise from her stomach, sink even a few inches lower. She would be digesting the vital organ before much longer, which would probably be a more pleasant way to die than what that woman had planned for her, if her tone of voice was any indication.

"Killing them wasn't necessary!" Sango immediately argued, coming to her friend's defense as she insisted, "Kagome cannot be blamed for your actions." which the miko found extremely touching, under the circumstances.

"They could have been taken, held until morning. In time they would have become." the slayer continued.

"More trouble than it's worth." the old woman waved off dismissively, adding menacingly, "Just like your friend."

"But think of the power!" some other random villager spoke up in that moment, also coming to Kagome's defense…sort of.

"When she finally becomes she can help us with the youkai." that person pointed out, immediately peaking Kagome's interests even further.

"Yes…" Miroku spoke up again in that moment, agreeing with the goat herder. "While I have added my own sutra to Daisuke's, the seals are still not permanent. With a miko's sealing arrows we would never have to worry about them breaking free."

_They __do_ _have the youkai held hostage somewhere! _Kagome realized with a silent breath of relief, until the slap in the face that Sango and Miroku had _known _about it hit her. Well…at least they'd known about it after 'becoming', whatever the hell _that _meant.

"Daisuke's sutra have always been strong enough for the little ones, that hanyou is simply too powerful." somebody else said in concern, and Kagome had to throw her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming for joy at the realization that Inuyasha was still alive.

"Too powerful? Are you daft?" Daisuke argued in that moment. "Just think of how much faster the awakening is happening thanks to that hanyou!" he said in jubilation. "Our new dawn is nearly upon us!"

It took a few moments for all the excitement to settle back down, as several people began cheering at the old monk's words.

"With the holy ones nearly awake, our promised future is truly just around the corner." he added in a calmer tone of voice once everyone had quieted down. "I say we give the miko more time."

"We cannot wait forever." a man Kagome recognized as the first farmer to have greeted them chimed in. "What were to happen if she still did not become before the awakening was upon us?"

Concerned murmurs flittered through the dining hall, several villagers talking quietly amongst themselves depending on where their own opinions lied.

"Silence!" the village Headman spoke up in that moment.

Sending strict yet sympathetic glances Sango and Miroku's way, he cast down his final verdict. "She has until morning. But if she has not shown any sign of becoming by then…" He let his words trail off, the implied order coming through loud and clear.

"She is my friend." Sango spoke in that moment, though the next words to leave her lips chilled Kagome to the bone. "If it must be done, I shall be the one to do it."

~o~o~o~o~o~

_Faster…faster…gotta run faster! _the frantic miko chanted in her mind as she made a mad dash back to the village Inn. She'd heard all she'd needed to hear, and _then _some. If she didn't succumb to whatever mind control had taken over everyone else's brain, by tomorrow morning, then Sango was under orders to _kill _her.

_I've got to think of a way to start 'becoming'…_she quickly deduced, as she skipped to a stop just before slamming open the door to the Inn, stepping inside in as calm a fashion as she could muster just under the off chance that somebody had been left behind from the impromptu village meeting. Now Kagome really wished that she had gone with them to dinner, because then that conversation never would've taken place, or at least not yet. Then again, it was better that she finally knew what she was up against. Well…sort of. But she did know that it was time to throw away any self-doubt regarding her bad acting skills.

The first thing the miko did upon entering the sleeping chamber she'd been sharing with Sango and Miroku was peal out of her school uniform and change into the plain white sleeping yukata she hadn't touched since their first night there. Then she dug into her yellow backpack and scarfed down one of her granola bars. Not that she was really all that hungry, but it wouldn't do to let herself grow weak when she had no idea how quick on her toes she might have to become at any moment's notice. Then, even though it made her apprehensive, she leaned her bow and arrows against the back wall near where Miroku had discarded his shakujou, next to Sango's katana. The miko knew her weapon had to look forgotten about, at least for the time being. Then going back over to her backpack, she pulled out her small lighted pocket mirror and studied her reflection. What could she do?

_I'm sure as hell not pulling out any of my teeth! _she thought with ferocity, determined to find a less painful way to manipulate her appearance.

_Well, I've already got dark bags under my eyes, so that's a start_…

Wait a minute.

Turning around and glancing at the cold fire-pit behind her, the one they hadn't bothered using during their stay as the summer nights were plenty warm without a fire, the miko suddenly got a brilliant idea. Scurrying over to the fire-pit she used the light from her mirror as a flashlight to peer inside the pit, silently rejoicing at the sight of mounds of ash.

_Yes! Hurray for poor housekeeping! _

Quickly, with her pocket mirror in one hand, the miko began dipping her fingers into the gray powder, using it like makeup to shade her face in all the right places. Instead of concealing what she would normally want to conceal, such as the dark bags under her eyes, she used the ash to enhance those dark patches. She also gave her face more of a sunken-in appearance by shading the area just below her cheekbones. She didn't look as bad as the other villagers, but then again, if she were only just starting to 'become', then she wouldn't get as sick as quickly, anyway.

_I'm glad Souta had me help him with his Halloween makeup last year_.

Thoughts of her little brother and never seeing him again only renewed her effort to fight all the more. She _would _live through this, she _would _rescue Inuyasha, and they _would _resume their pursuit of the jewel shards and Naraku.

Putting her mirror away and wiping her fingers off on her pajama pants currently folded within her backpack, Kagome quickly put the bag back against the wall near her bow and arrows before crawling into bed. She knew she had until morning, so she figured she might as well try to see if she could actually get some sleep, then she would be ready for them when she woke up. Besides, as far as she had observed, the changes seemed to take place mostly during the night, anyway.

_The unconscious mind must be more vulnerable to whatever magic is at play here_.

Lying on her back so as not to accidentally rub off any of her makeup on her pillow, the miko grew quiet, and waited.

It wasn't all that long before she heard the sounds of Miroku and Sango returning to the room, their murmured conversation growing quieter as soon as they noticed her 'sleeping' form.

"We'll just have to wait and see." she heard Sango whisper, and despite the darkness, she made sure not to permit any flicker of her face that might give away her current state of wakefulness. She knew she could never feign sleep around Inuyasha, but Sango and Miroku were only human, after all.

"I still disagree with Hiroto's decision." Miroku whispered to the slayer, in reference to the village Headman.

"It doesn't matter." Sango replied. "The decision is final."

Kagome didn't hear Miroku make a response to that, but figured he must have either nodded his head in reluctant compliance, or shaken his head in a way meant to indicate he still did not agree, but knew he was powerless to do anything about it.

_We shall see who has the final say in what come tomorrow, Sango-chan_.

That final thought carried the miko through a blessedly dream-free slumber to find her eyes fluttering open at the carefree sound of bird-song, just like that first morning three days prior.

_Have we really only spent four nights here? _

It seemed almost unbelievable to her that such drastic changes could've actually happened so quickly, but then again, it would've been far more unbelievable for Kagome to have willingly played along for days into weeks without knowing what had become of Inuyasha and the others. That had been the one driving force, Inuyasha, Shippou and Kirara's disappearances, that had prevented Kagome from nervously going with the flow. It had also apparently been Inuyasha's addition to…whatever the hell it was…that had helped speed things along for the rest of the village, as well. Everything had apparently been ticking by at a fairly steady pace before the lot of _them_ had stumbled into town. No wonder everyone had been so welcoming of Inuyasha! They had known from the very beginning what was going to become of the demonic members of the inu-tachi, and had been merrily lying about it to her face ever since.

Bastards.

In the quiet moment Kagome allowed herself to remain lying in bed, she found herself truly wondering why she was immune to whatever forces were controlling everyone else's thoughts. Even before their arrival, the magic obviously had to have been strong enough to affect everyone virtually overnight, to ensure that any travelers merely passing through would then wind up deciding to remain permanent residents. So if the spell had already been that strong _without _the power boost Inuyasha's presence now provided, she didn't even want to think about how strong the spell had actually become since then. She also didn't want to think about just what, exactly, was being done to Inuyasha while the 'holy ones' fed off of him in preparation for the 'awakening'. It was a good thing she had been paying attention to the few keywords she'd heard spoken last night; the miko had the sinking feeling that there was about to be a 'sudden death' pop-quiz.

Hearing the sliding screen to their room shift open, and gentle footfalls hesitantly approaching her position, Kagome chose that moment to start the show, praying for the kami to at least grant her the _one _favor of her ash-makeup having stayed in place, as she knew she had no time to fix it, or even check it.

Opening her eyes, she saw Sango's concerned visage peering down at her, and she greeted her one-time best girlfriend with a warm, welcoming smile.

_Should have thought to dirty my teeth up a bit, but bleh, don't know if I could've handled the taste_.

"Good morning, Sango." she greeted happily, showing no hesitation in removing the suffix from the girl's name. Then she furrowed her brows and added for good measure, "Is something the matter?"

Sango seemed to be studying her, trying to determine whether or not her hopes had really come true. At least she was unarmed, the miko noted, since there was still no sign of Hiraikotsu, and her katana was still resting peacefully near Miroku's shakujou and her own arrows.

The miko chose that moment to rise from bed, noticing, though pretending not to, when Sango's eyes widened the tiniest bit to discover she had changed into the provided sleeping yukata last night.

"I guess I really wasn't feeling well." Kagome spoke back up in that moment, desperately hoping to twist her own previous words to her favor. She grinned when she glanced down to see no hint of ash around her bedding. "To have fallen asleep so quickly, and stay asleep for so long. Phew…" she said in a tone of relief, as if she had been suffering from the flu and this was finally the first day she could tell she was feeling better.

"You…are feeling better then?" Sango asked hesitantly, reading Kagome's words exactly as she'd wanted her to.

_Gotcha! _

"Oh yes, definitely. And I'm quite hungry, too, so I hope it's not to late for me to grab some breakfast before we get to work."

"You wish to help us in the village?" Sango asked, not daring to hope.

Kagome threw on her best 'confused' expression, including the tilt of the head. _Huh…I wonder if they picked that up from Inuyasha's influence leaking through the spell?_ she pondered, bringing a genuine aspect to her current expression.

Miroku chose that moment to enter the room, and it was clear from Sango's expression that the slayer didn't appreciate the interruption.

_She had probably been planning on doing away with me right here and now_… Kagome realized, wondering if Miroku's untimely appearance had been done on purpose. Was he not fully lost to her, after all? But she knew she couldn't risk revealing her lucidity to test that theory; she would stick to the plan. Even under the spell, Miroku probably just hadn't wanted Sango to kill her, the monk having clearly expressed his displeasure with the Headman's decision the night before.

Immediately taking advantage of Miroku's entrance to duplicate the short attention spans she'd noticed her friends had adopted over the last couple of days, Kagome appeared to give no further thought to Sango's yet unanswered question as she turned to bid the houshi good morning.

"Good morning, indeed!" Miroku replied a little too enthusiastically for Sango's liking, and Kagome had to bite her tongue to keep from grinning inappropriately at how, even under mind control, the houshi somehow always managed to get under Sango's skin.

The slayer's eyes seemed to soften after a moment, though, and Kagome could definitely hear the hint of relief in her voice as she told Miroku, "Kagome is feeling better this morning."

Sighing in obvious relief, himself, Miroku looked Kagome right in the eyes, and for the life of her she couldn't tell if he was really one of them or not, as he stated, "That is wonderful news."

_They're sort of still themselves, except for the whole not caring about our youkai friends or defeating Naraku part_, Kagome reminded herself. _He still considers me a friend and hadn't wanted anything bad to happen to me, that's all_.

Realizing that they were showing unnatural levels of relief for her to 'not notice', Kagome glanced between Miroku and Sango in that moment before commenting with confusion, "Hey, what gives? You two act like I was dying or something." She followed that horrible analogy that was _way _too close to the truth for her liking with a giant, toothy grin, hoping they would shrug off how healthy her teeth still looked. She had only _just _'become', after all, and her teeth were also far healthier than anyone else's in that time period, anyway, thanks to her modern dental care.

"So what's on the roster for today?" she asked next, addressing Miroku since he seemed the safer of her two companions for the time being. "Were Daisuke and the others able to finish the work on Chiori's hut? How about the cucumbers? Do they still need to be picked?"

Kagome really wished she had been paying closer attention to everyone's names and the list of chores Sango had spouted off the day before.

Nevertheless, the smile that spread over Sango's visage in that moment, revealing yellower teeth than normal, let Kagome know that her act had been bought. At least for now.

"You don't know how happy I am to hear you say such things." the taijiya practically gushed.

_I bet I do…_Kagome thought. Then realizing that it was apparently okay to mention the forbidden past from the days before she had 'become', Kagome braved apologizing to her friend.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble I must have caused you…asking to leave all the time." she stated carefully.

"That's all right…" Sango replied, smoothing Kagome's hair the way a loving mother might do. "You've come home now. That's all that matters."

"While no one is more delighted than myself to have our dear Kagome finally join us, there is still much work to be done in preparation for the awakening." Miroku stated in that moment.

"Oh yes, of course." Kagome replied, indicating she had full knowledge of the subject.

_Well…at least I have __some_ _knowledge of the subject_.

"So what's first?"

~o~o~o~o~o~

Spending the day pulling weeds hadn't been her idea of fun, but heck, at least she was still alive. Having successfully managed to infiltrate herself as a wolf in the fold, Kagome bided her time, trying to figure out just how she could go about acquiring the knowledge she should supposedly already possess through some sort of magical link. She was just grateful that the villagers apparently weren't telepathic amongst themselves, otherwise, she knew she would've been screwed once they'd realized that they couldn't read her mind. Fortunately, it appeared as if nobody could actually read each other's minds, they were all merely receiving mental instructions from 'the holy ones'…whoever the hell _they _were.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Miroku spoke up in that moment, startling the miko who hadn't even realized he'd managed to sneak up on her.

_He's way too quiet without his staff! _

The houshi frowned as he caught the way she'd jerked at the sound of his voice.

"Kagome?"

"Oh yes, wonderful!" she spoke up then, taking an educated guess as to what he'd been referring to. It was a small gamble, but she needed to do some quick damage control.

"Very soon, the awakening shall be upon us."

He smiled at her words, not in a pleased sort of way as if she had said the right thing and he had secretly been testing her, but in a more relaxed manner, as her comment merely brought his own thoughts back around to that same topic, his observation of her surprise instantly forgotten.

"We shall be in good favor with the holy ones, you, Sango and I." he stated then, his tone conversational, though perhaps with a hint of pride, like a spoiled child who knew he was Mother's favorite.

Based on the conversation she'd overheard the night before, the miko took another educated guess.

"Yes, with Inuyasha's power, everything is happening so much quicker."

Miroku merely nodded, pleased beyond words that Kagome had finally seen the light.

Figuring she would never have a better chance, the miko made her move, hoping to use their preexisting topic of conversation to her advantage. At least she needn't worry about finding an appropriate segue.

"Miroku…something has occurred to me." she began slowly, looking genuinely thoughtful.

"Yes, Kagome? What is it?"

She hoped her plan wouldn't immediately 'out' her, but different villagers had clearly had different opinions last night, so it wasn't like everyone had been reduced to mindless ants working for the good of the colony. She was still entitled to her own opinions and beliefs, to a point…right?

"Could we not use my jewel shards to expedite the awakening even further?" she asked, holding out the glass bottle hanging around her neck that she pulled loose from the tucks of the gardening yukata she was currently wearing.

Miroku frowned, doubt lacing into his voice as he stated carefully, "But the holy ones do not work that way…you should know that."

_I've got no freakin' clue what the holy ones are or what they do_… Kagome thought, but she hadn't been so foolish as to not consider that scenario.

"Yes, of course…" she answered in as calm a manner as she could muster, hoping not to show her trepidation at Miroku's sudden flicker of doubt in her loyalties. "But I was referring to Inuyasha." she continued then, knowing it was time to go for broke. "If we were to use my jewel shards to increase _his _power, just imagine how much more it would benefit the holy ones?"

Miroku's eyes widened, but fortunately, he appeared ecstatic at her ingenious idea.

_Thank the kami…_

"Kagome! What a marvelous idea! I can't believe I failed to think of it myself!" Then something occurred to him as he stated, "But I fear Inuyasha may become so powerful with the boost from your jewel shards that mine and Daisuke's sutra will fail to hold him."

Waving off the monk's concerns, she said exactly what she knew he wanted to hear when she suggested, "I could easily seal him away with an arrow, just like he'd been sealed before. Nothing would be able to break that spell."

Never mind the fact that she had absolutely no idea how to make a sealing arrow instead of a purifying one. Miroku didn't need to know that.

"Then it's settled! Come! We shall tell the others!"

_No! Damn it… Think!_

"Why not simply do it now? I have finished with this section of weeds…" She gestured to her basket, quite full of the harmful vegetation. "We could do it together, you and I, and then tell the others. It would be a marvelous surprise."

Fortunately, enough of her playful companion remained behind those violet eyes that the houshi was easily talked into her plan, loving the idea of doing something so wonderful, and then springing it on the others as a joyous surprise. With Inuyasha charged up with the jewel shards, the awakening would most likely happen within a matter of minutes!

"You truly are something, you know that?" he stated in an affectionate manner, before reaching for her hand to help her to stand from where she had been kneeling in the garden. "Come, let us grab your arrows and then go to the cave!"

With that, Miroku took off at an excited pace, Kagome hot on his heels. After a quick stop at the Inn to pick up her bow and quiver, they darted off towards the swell of the mountain, behind the main buildings of the village. Kagome was ecstatic that her plan was going so well. She had even managed to arm herself! She knew she had no idea what she might be up against. The miko desperately tried to keep up the appearances of running to the same place as Miroku, while holding back _just enough _that she could let him lead the way. She knew she couldn't dare reveal that she had absolutely no idea where the entrance to this cave really was.

When it appeared as though Miroku wasn't going to stop, instead planning on running straight into solid rock, Kagome closed her eyes briefly as she prayed that whatever barriers were in place would let her through. She couldn't hesitate no matter what, even as she unconsciously braced for impact.

Fortunately, the illusion of the rock wall on the mountain face allowed her passage just like Miroku, and she instantly found herself bombarded by multiple demonic auras. No wonder she couldn't sense anything before! The barrier was somehow keeping everything concealed.

The cave was nearly pitch-black, but fortunately, she mused darkly, the eerie green glow coming from the walls that she actually found exceptionally creepy at least gave her enough light to see the figure of the man in front of her as she blindly followed behind Miroku deeper into the mountain. The jewel shards pulsed in response to the youki all around her, as the very walls of the cave seemed to resonate with demonic power. Feeling the shards tingling against her aura, Kagome briefly prayed that whatever monsters truly lurked within the depths of this cave, Miroku had been telling the truth in that they could not utilize the jewel shards for themselves.

Entering a main chamber, Kagome had to quickly bite back the gasp that wanted to spring forth from her throat at the sight of multiple random youkai bound with spiritual seals, propped against the walls of the cave and wide stalagmites that grew from the floor. Inuyasha was amongst them, as was little Shippou and Kirara, though everyone was so still they appeared more like waxworks than actual living creatures. It was their open, unblinking eyes that she found the most disturbing. That…and the strewn bodies of what appeared to be dead and decaying youkai laying about the cave floor, or sitting propped up in slouched positions against the walls.

_Just what the hell is going on? _

Scanning the room for a second to fully take in her surroundings, Kagome quickly noticed what appeared to be a very old scroll hanging on the wall nearest the entrance to the chamber. She couldn't fully make out all of the characters, what with the age of the parchment coupled by the only light source being the freakish glow of youki that seemed to pulse within the cave walls themselves, but she still thought she could pick out enough of the characters to get a gist of what the scroll was saying. It appeared to be a warning of some sort, and spoke of how the man who had written the scroll, presumably a monk, had managed to seal the youkai away in that cave. These particular youkai had the ability to feed directly on the energy of both other youkai as well as humans. The scroll said to get away as quickly as possible before the presence of whoever was reading it began triggering the youkai's inherit ability to absorb nearby life forces.

Apparently, building a farming village right on top of the cave was too 'nearby', Kagome mentally snorted. Presumably this was a last-chance warning and the monk had placed an additional warning outside the cave as well, but due to being exposed to the elements it had deteriorated faster than the one inside. The scroll did appear to be unbelievably old, so she could easily imagine that a parchment of the same age would have turned to dust out in the sun. There was also something about mind-control in his warning, she noted as she read further for a moment, though Kagome couldn't make out some of the brush strokes, plus some of the Kanji simply looked different from what she was used to in her own time. Still, she could understand enough to figure out what was really happening.

Taking her newfound knowledge, Kagome closed her eyes and opened her mind, reaching out with her spiritual senses. The youkai…the live ones pinned to the walls…they _were_ being drained of their energy, though it was a relatively slow process. Still, she could sense that some of them were close to death, their youki fading away like a flashlight left on for too long. What was more disturbing than that, however, was the sudden realization that the 'dead' youkai were in fact not truly dead, even though they appeared lifeless on the floor. She could definitely sense…something…coming from within them. So into her discovery as she was, Kagome didn't think about the obvious pause she'd made in her entry before finally approaching Inuyasha, which should have given away her surprise and horror of the situation. Fortunately, well…depending on how you looked at it…Miroku began weaving unsteadily behind her, his complexion growing paler, his skin turning ashen. He was in no condition to notice much of anything.

"Wha…what's happening to me?" he muttered too quietly for Kagome to notice in her distracted state.

Standing right before Inuyasha, she gazed up at him with wide, worried eyes.

"Inuyasha…?" she whispered quietly enough that she knew only the inu-hanyou would hear her. "Are you…are you still in there? I'm not one of them, I'm here to rescue you." she told him.

Was he awake? Could he hear her?

Suddenly, his eyes lowered to meet her own, and she couldn't stop her gasp from escaping that time. Hearing a shuffle from behind her Kagome quickly spun around, terrified her slip had meant she'd been discovered, until her eyes widened in horror at the sight of Miroku's sickly form collapsing to the ground.

"Miroku-sama!" she shouted on instinct, quickly rushing to his side. "What's happening to you?" she asked, not caring about keeping up her charade any longer.

She didn't notice the twitchy movements of one of the dead youkai suddenly coming back to life.

_She's here…she's safe…she…she's come to rescue me…_the hanyou thought in relief, mixed with pride. Kagome was a miracle worker.

When he had first been attacked by that Daisuke bastard, caught off guard and slapped with multiple sutra before he'd had a chance to react, Inuyasha hadn't yet realized the true severity of the situation. A couple of hours later, when an unmoving Shippou and Kirara had been brought into the cave by some other random villagers and left propped against the wall like statues, he'd only been concerned for what horrors were befalling his comrades at the hands of the sadistic villagers. It hadn't been until Miroku himself had made an appearance, applying more sutra that the hanyou could immediately feel strengthening the power of the seal that his youki had slowly been working loose, that Inuyasha realized just how fucked up their situation truly was.

For a split second, when he'd first seen Kagome enter the chamber, wearing one of their yukata and wielding her bow and arrows, his heart had plummeted to the cave floor, whatever miniscule, minute measures of hope he'd still contained draining out of him along with his youki. Until she spoke…and he dared hold out hope in seeing daylight once again. From such close proximity, he could tell that her ashen complexion was the result of actual ash spread over her face, and that, coupled by what she'd said, had the hanyou instantly realizing that Kagome had somehow managed to play Miroku in order to gain access to the cave. He didn't know if the miko had noticed it, but he could also sense some kind of fluctuations happening within the jewel shards around her neck, and quickly hypothesized that for whatever reason, it was her possession of the jewel shards that had protected her from the youkai's mind control. Even though she never intentionally used the power of the jewel shards for her own selfish gain, as that would taint their purity, the shards still inherently offered a power-boost to whomever wielded them. Kagome already seemed moderately resistant to most mind control spells as it was, so carrying the jewel shards must've been all she'd needed to tip the scale in her favor.

At the houshi's collapse, he knew he couldn't blame Kagome for the way she immediately turned from him to run to Miroku's aid. Hell, he was worried for the houshi, too. Whatever was sucking him dry had clearly been devouring the monk's energy as well, and he could wait a couple more minutes if those minutes might mean life or death for their friend. When he saw that one green, scaly bastard start to move, however, and quickly realized with dread that Kagome hadn't noticed, something in him snapped, just like when he'd first awakened from Kikyou's sealing arrow. He was still pinned, but nothing could have prevented Inuyasha from crying out in that moment.

"Kagome, look out!"

Whirling around on instinct, the miko shrieked in surprised horror to see one of the supposedly dead youkai bearing down on her.

Having no choice but to leave Miroku where he lay, she rolled herself to the side just in time to avoid the lobster-like claw that had been descending like a sledgehammer to smash in her skull. The action jarred her quiver and scattered her arrows, but the scraping sound of metal against stone as her arrowheads skirted across the cave floor quickly drew her attention back to her weapon, as she scrambled for her bow before quickly grabbing both it and the nearest arrow, turning onto her back and notching the projectile in one swift motion, as she let her arrow fly without bothering to aim.

She didn't _need _to aim at point-blank range.

Proving once and for all that the 'holy ones' were indeed nothing more than some manner of youkai, and relatively weak ones in their current state, the gruesome looking monster before her immediately disintegrated into sparkly dust.

_Thank kami! _Kagome thought with a swift exhale, knowing that she would've for sure been a goner had she not managed to kill the monster in one shot.

"Inuyasha!" she shouted then, clambering to her feet and darting back over to where he was still pinned against the wall by several ofuda, some of which she instantly recognized as Miroku's own handiwork. "Thank the kami you're all right." she stated in relief.

Immediately starting the task of hastily ripping off each sutra before something else could attack them, she quickly turned and rushed back over to where she'd left Miroku once she was finished, concerned to hear the moans of discomfort pouring from his lips, until he turned enough so that she could get a clearer look at his face. Even in such low lighting she could immediately see the difference in his complexion. He no longer looked like a half-starved zombie.

Feeling a non-hostile presence closing in behind her, Kagome stated, "We've got to get him out of here." without looking up. Then, turning to address Inuyasha face to face, she added, "Go and hide him somewhere while I free the others."

"Oh hell no." Inuyasha argued immediately. "I haven't spent the last few days fearing the worst just to let you leave my sight now."

Briefly, Kagome smiled at his words, and Inuyasha was grateful that the low green lighting was dim enough that Kagome couldn't see his blush, as he realized his inadvertent confession. A louder groan from the man lying on the cave floor forced both of their attentions back to the monk in that moment, as Kagome asked hesitantly, "Miroku-sama? How are you feeling?"

Immediately, Miroku's eyes widened in horror, and for a split second Kagome feared the worst. Inuyasha found himself reaching for Tessaiga, which was fortunately still on his hip, not that he could ever use his sword to attack one of his friends, but maybe the brainwashed Miroku wouldn't know that?

Fortunately, it quickly turned out that their fears were ungrounded, as they both heard the houshi declare, "By Buddha, what have I done?"

"Worry 'bout it later, bouzu, we got bigger problems right now." Inuyasha pointed out in that moment, jerking a thumb over his shoulder to indicate some of the other green youkai who had also started to twitch.

"Shit." Kagome cursed, her colorful language going unnoticed by both males as they unconsciously shared in her sentiment.

As the miko quickly went about collecting her scattered arrows and notching another one in her bow, Miroku took that opportunity to free the other imprisoned, innocent youkai. He knew what was happening, and he knew that leaving the other youkai connected to the walls of the cave would only help expediate how quickly the green youkai were able to regenerate themselves.

"Mir…Miroku?" Shippou asked hesitantly as soon as the kitsune was unsealed.

"There will be time for explanations and apologies later. For now you must run!" he stated with conviction.

Shippou didn't need to be told twice, as he scurried towards the exit of the cave as fast as his legs would carry him, along with the other small, forest-dwelling youkai that had been captured over time. One small youkai chose to stay behind, though her presence went unnoticed by the humans and hanyou as they moved to take action over the more pressing issue of the 'holy ones'.

"We must hurry!" Miroku called urgently, instructing Kagome and Inuyasha to quickly slay the other youkai before the villagers sensed through the link what was happening.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that." Sango stated from her spot at the entrance to the chamber, several other villagers standing behind her, and all of them armed.

Kagome noted with dread that Hiraikotsu was once again in the taijiya's possession, and she was even wearing her black leather uniform. It was the best outfit for fighting in, after all. Kagome suddenly wished she were wearing her school uniform, as opposed to the long summer yukata she had worn that day in keeping with her act.

"Sango!" Miroku shouted desperately then. "Wait, you do not understand!"

"Forget it." Inuyasha stated. "She ain't gonna see what's been happening while those things still have a hold of her brain."

While Miroku and Inuyasha debated Sango's ability to comprehend the direness of the situation at hand, Kagome hoped to take advantage of that moment to fire off another arrow, but completely ignoring the two men, Sango had been steadily watching whom she'd sensed was the greatest threat to the 'holy ones', and said in that moment, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Gesturing to one of the men standing behind her, that villager took his cue to hold up an immobile kitsune child by the tail, a sutra over his mouth having prevented him from struggling or shouting out any type of a warning to his friends.

"Shippou-chan!"

"Okay, that's it." Inuyasha stated in resolve, drawing Tessaiga, which…much to his surprise…immediately transformed.

_Tessaiga's not supposed to be able to attack humans, so whatever's happening to them is making the sword read them as youkai_, he realized quickly. _Still, they __are__ human, so I'll have to be extra careful_.

Besides, a large blast from Tessaiga would probably cause a cave-in.

"Attack!" Sango shouted as she herself charged forward, along with every villager who had followed her into the cave.

The one who had been holding Shippou hostage discarded the kitsune by tossing him in a random direction to land painfully on the cave floor. He would've been in danger of being stepped on, but the little youkai who had stayed behind when Miroku had freed them all snuck forward in that moment, latching onto the kitsune with her teeth and quickly dragging him outside to safety.

Kagome caught sight of Shippou's rescuer and breathed a sigh of relief, having wanted to go to the kitsune herself but being unable to as several large men armed with farming tools started closing in around her with menacing expressions promising pain. Gulping, she gripped her bow and arrow tighter.

"Shit!" Inuyasha swore, unable to go to Kagome's aid as he was stuck repeatedly dodging Hiraikotsu as Sango swung the giant bone-boomerang like a battleaxe. One swipe came much too close for comfort as he felt the sharpened end of her weapon cut a thin, stinging line across his chest.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, although she had her own problems to worry about as the circle of villagers closed in around her from all directions, preventing any chance of escape. She was only grateful that she was armed, too. Holding her bow and arrow at the ready, she prayed none of them would attempt to call her bluff. She'd never taken human life before, and didn't really want to start now.

Miroku was finding himself in an equally desperate situation. Unarmed as he was without his shakujou, which often doubled as a weapon, he was forced to resort to using his fists for fighting off the good portion of crazed farmers who had decided to come after him instead of Kagome. At least, until one of the men to his right started to wobble a bit on his feet, and he was able to swing his leg low and trip the man, acquiring his pitchfork. That evened the playing field a tiny bit, though truly not by much. Even though the villagers were weak, and appeared to be getting weaker by the moment, there were simply too many of them. It seemed as though every strong-bodied male from the entire village had joined Sango for this fight.

Holding the transformed Tessaiga more like a shield than a sword, Inuyasha used it to deflect Sango's repeated blows. The taijiya was getting weaker, and attacking more furiously as a result, as reason and calculation gave way to desperation.

"Ahhhh!" she shouted in crazed aggravation as she began swinging her weapon around like a mad woman. The unpredictability of her movements enabled her to catch Inuyasha in the stomach when she faked high with the left point of Hiraikotsu only to twist the weapon in simulation of it's natural flight movement to come in from underneath with the right point as he raised his arms high to block from above.

Fortunately, the slayer's weakened condition saved Inuyasha's internal organs as Hiraikotsu cut through more cloth than flesh, his fire-rat robes also playing a direct role in preventing his injuries from being any more severe. Bleeding from several wounds by that point, though all of them were minor and of no consequence as far as he was concerned, the hanyou finally decided that enough was enough as he pulled Tessaiga's scabbard from his obi with his left hand, holding the wood out before him like a talisman as the slayer came in for her next strike. Bouncing off the sheath's protective barrier, Sango was thrown off balance, and Inuyasha was easily able to rush forward and disarm her.

Or so he'd thought.

Taking Hiraikotsu and quickly loosening the strap enough to drape the giant boomerang over his own shoulder, Inuyasha was unprepared when the panting woman crouching before him suddenly jumped to her feet, a small yet very sharp blade springing through her sleeve to slash across his face as she swiped at him in an upward motion.

"Gods fucking damn it, fucking knock that shit off!" he shouted, grabbing her by both wrists and giving her a light shake.

All the fight seemed to drain out of the taijiya right before his very eyes, as her skin grew paler, her body cooler to the touch.

"Sango?"

Catching a reflection of movement in her glossy eyes as she stared blankly over his shoulder was the only thing that saved him as he turned around just in time to duck. "Shit!" Grabbing the slayer, he sat her down in what he hoped was a safe corner of the cave before rushing back towards his new adversary.

Kagome had seen what'd nearly happened, but she hadn't had time to shout out a warning, having glanced in Inuyasha's direction just as the green youkai was about to snip his head off with its giant, vice-like claws. Fortunately, he had somehow detected the youkai's presence behind him in time to avoid decapitation, and Kagome exhaled in relief. That was, until one of the villagers in the circle around her reached forward, grabbing her bow in frustration.

"Focus, bitch!" the man shouted, attempting to keep her mind fully occupied on her own predicament rather than watching the battle around her. Unfortunately, his jarring on her weapon accidentally caused her fingers to lose their hold on her arrow, as the missile fired directly into the man's leg.

He immediately doubled over, collapsing to the cave floor as bolts of electricity raced through his body, temporarily crippling him.

Kagome gasped, tears of guilt springing to her eyes.

Then he blinked at her, clutching the arrow protruding from the thick muscle of his right thigh, as he murmured a painful, "What's going on?"

Kagome paused, blinking in shock, even as the other villagers all took a marginal step backwards.

_My arrow reversed whatever was happening to him! It severed his connection with the youkai! _she realized quickly, while also quickly realizing that she'd better rearm herself before the other villagers decided to do more than just stand there, as she grabbed another arrow from her quiver and swiftly notched it, the villagers watching her every move.

Well, that explained why they hadn't started physically attacking her yet, because they were just as vulnerable to her miko powers as their youkai masters were. They'd only been trying to distract her, keeping her out of the way so that she couldn't use her miko powers to interfere with the rest of the fight. They were using themselves as human shields to protect the 'holy ones' from her purifying arrows

Speaking of the 'holy ones', Inuyasha was giving one a run for its money, as the loud clashing sound of stone-like claws met against giant iron fang. Having learned a trick or two from his brief altercation with the taijiya, Inuyasha faked high with Tessaiga raised in his right hand, while secretly dipping the claws on his left hand into the small wound on his stomach.

"Blades of Blood!" he shouted as the youkai moved to deflect his sword, exposing its own belly to the slicing blades of youki-charged blood that quickly cut the monster in half.

Upon falling bisected onto the cave floor, the youkai disintegrated into dust, and a loud inhaling gasp could be heard from the corner he'd hidden Sango away in. Rushing to her side, he felt relief wash over him at the sight of the slayer's complexion rapidly returning to normal.

"Inuyasha?" Sango asked as she gazed up at him, momentarily confused until the memory of all that had transpired had her eyes opening wide in horror.

"Keh, welcome back, Sango." the hanyou replied, holding out a hand to help her to her feet.

The slayer felt tremendous relief at the gesture, knowing it meant that she had not destroyed her relationship with the demonic man she had quickly come to respect as a comrade in battle, as well as a trusted friend.

"Umm…guys?" Kagome spoke up hesitantly in that moment, and both Inuyasha and Sango turned in mild surprise to discover the miko standing right next to them.

The last time Inuyasha had been able to glance Kagome's way, she'd still been surrounded by a pack of angry villagers. He'd only been marginally relieved to note that they hadn't actually been attacking her, and that she'd also had her weapon at the ready. How had she gotten out of all that so quickly?

"I think things are about to get a whole lot more interesting…" the miko continued then, gesturing for her friends to take a look around them.

The villagers that had previously been surrounding Kagome were all collapsing, falling backwards to land on their bums and then rolling over to lie on their sides, groaning in pain or passing out completely, depending on how weak they were.

In that same moment, more of the green life-force-sucking youkai formally known as the 'holy ones' were starting to twitch and come back to life.

"Shit!" Inuyasha cursed, quickly removing Hiraikotsu from his shoulder and handing it back to the startled Sango who barely had enough time to register what was happening before she found herself engaged in battle once again, only this time it was against one of the very creatures she had only so recently been worshiping.

That made the battle especially heated, considering she had a special dislike for anyone or any_thing _that subjected innocent people to mind controlling spells.

In the mean time, the farmer Kagome had nailed with an arrow in the leg was trying his best to crawl out of the cave unnoticed, fearful for his life. When a giant blast of flame appeared right in his line of vision, dissipating to reveal a fearsome saber-toothed feline, he started weeping openly, begging the monster not to kill him.

"Kirara!" Sango shouted with a smile, relieved beyond words to see her long-time youkai companion alive and well.

Though most people claimed that cats' faces did not allow for much expression, Kirara was unmistakably smiling as she glanced her mistress' way before turning her attention back to the sniveling man by her paws.

"Get him out of here, Kirara!" Miroku shouted then, even as he mentally cursed his lack of proper weaponry against the reviving youkai. "Get him and these other villagers outside! It's not safe for them in here!"

Miroku had most of the villagers down for the count, their rapidly increasing sickness having greatly aided in his ability to fell them so quickly. Unfortunately, as the villagers grew weaker, the youkai directly tied to each of them grew immeasurably stronger, and for every human who fell down near the brink of death, another 'dead' youkai suddenly came back to life. The sutra he had collected from the peaceful forest youkai were no longer usable, and all of his other sutra were currently tucked safely away within his houshi robes, which were currently back at the village Inn. Like Kagome, he was wearing a simple farming yukata, which was _not _the best outfit for battling youkai. Not that he had time to worry about a wardrobe malfunction while fighting for his life.

"Miroku, behind you!" Inuyasha shouted in that moment, and without even bothering to look, the monk reacted by instantly dropping into a roll, which even two seconds later would not have saved his life, as he heard the youkai's claws zipping through the air directly overhead.

Before he could even think of how to scramble to regain the upper hand, a blast of fire from overhead preluded the shriek of a bisected youkai, as Kirara managed to take the monster out before collecting another villager. Doing as Miroku instructed, she was evacuating all of the unconscious humans from the cave, not that that meant she wouldn't lend a claw or fang where needed when she could.

"Thank's Kirara, I owe you one."

"Shit!" the hanyou cursed for the umpteenth time, racing towards Kagome who hadn't yet noticed the youkai quickly closing in on her from behind while she aimed her bow at two more waking youkai.

He wasn't going to make it.

"Kagome!" he shouted, throwing Tessaiga.

Having already drawn a bead on her target – which was getting more and more difficult during the moments of Kirara's absence since the glowing presence of youki from within the cave walls was steadily subsiding, forcing the humans to rely more and more on the light from Kirara's flames – the miko was unconsciously blocking out her body's responses to outside stimuli. She heard Inuyasha's cry, but she couldn't do anything about it until after her fingers released their grip on her arrow's fletching. Turning in that moment, her eyes widened to see Tessaiga sailing right for her, and before she could even react, the giant fang struck true, plunging through the side of the youkai standing less than a foot behind her. That youkai collapsed forward, crashing right into her, which caused the miko to shriek in horrified surprise. The youkai immediately exploded into dust then, though from being skewered by Tessaiga or by a stray blast of her own miko powers, they couldn't be sure.

Rushing forward, Inuyasha collected his sword, while noting with pride how Kagome's arrow had successfully taken out two other youkai at the same time, which had been lying somewhat on top of each other. They'd already started twitching, guaranteeing they would've been joining the party in another few seconds had she not managed to take them out right when she had. A lot of the youkai were still somewhat unconscious, clearly the ones that were tied to the women and children of the village, but like setting off a row of dominos, it appeared as if every one of them was getting ready to wake up, the ones connected to the people within the cave having only gained a bit of a head start.

"We can't keep going on like this!" Sango shouted over the ruckus. One on one, or even one on two, she was sure they could handle without a problem, but they were starting to become increasingly outnumbered. There were literally dozens of youkai on the verge of waking up within the next two minutes, tops.

It was in that moment that Kirara rushed back into the cave for the final time, her periodic entrances having provided a much-welcomed light source considering the cave had become virtually black otherwise by that point.

"Is everyone outside?" Kagome asked the fire-cat in that moment, and a deep roar gave a definite affirmative, even as she increased the burn of the fire around her paws so that the humans could all see for themselves. It had taken her a couple of minutes, but one by one she'd very rapidly rushed each of the fallen villagers out of the cave. Well, except for the few who had managed to recuperate after their corresponding 'holy one' had been slain. _Those _villagers had all fled of their own accord.

_Thanks for the support, guys_… Sango snorted to herself, not that she could truly blame them. Aside from Daisuke, none of the farmers would've been any match against the youkai, anyway, and he had been one of the many still unconscious even as Kirara had dragged him outside by his robes.

"You guys, get the hell out of here!" Inuyasha shouted then, as he charged up Tessaiga for his attack, knowing what he had to do. "I'm gonna take this whole fucking place down. It's the only way."

"No!" Kagome shrieked. "What about you? You'll be crushed along with them!"

"Feh." he snorted, though secretly he was touched by her concern.

_This from a woman who's fucking osuwari'd me while carrying a boulder! _He wanted to call her on it, but the last thing he needed was to dredge up guilty memories for the girl he needed to get the _hell _out of the cave.

"I'll be fine! Just get a move on. Go!"

"Come on!" Miroku insisted, grabbing her arm as she hesitated.

"Let's go." Sango agreed with a nod as Miroku and Kagome met her at the entrance to the narrow chamber that led out of the cave, Kirara running ahead of them and providing them with the necessary light to see where they were going.

"All right, you bastards…" Inuyasha spoke menacingly once he knew his friends had all made it outside.

As if sensing that something big was about to happen, all of the awakened youkai merely started gathering around him in a slowly growing circle.

_Come and get it, you fuckers_… the hanyou thought, concentrating on the swirls of energy he could feel whirling around Tessaiga's blade.

All of the youkai crouched, as if getting ready to pounce at the same time. He was about to be jumped by nearly forty roughly humanoid youkai with giant razor-sharp scissor-claws, and he couldn't have cared less.

"Wind Scar!"

Outside of the cave, Kagome gave off a horrified cry of disbelief as everyone felt the ground begin to shake violently just a few seconds before the entire side of the mountain imploded in on itself.

"No! Inuyasha!" she cried, nearly rushing back towards the now clearly visible yet equally blocked entrance to the cave before Sango managed to grab her arm to hold her back.

"Kagome-chan, calm down." the slayer attempted to sooth. "I'm sure Inuyasha's fine. He's tough, just give him a minute."

Secretly, the slayer hoped her words were true, but a speck of fear and remorse did exist deep in her heart. She silently prayed to the kami that Inuyasha had _not _been required to sacrifice himself for the greater good. But even as she worried over the fateful outcome of his decision, the taijiya knew there had been no other option but to destroy the entire cave. Continuing to fight them off hand-to-hand would've only become more and more of a losing battle as the rest of the youkai joined the fight, coupled by their own increasing weariness.

Finally feeling Kagome relax, Sango released her hold on the younger girl's arm. She felt the miko's pain, but there was nothing Kagome could hope to accomplish by rushing back in that rubble except getting herself injured or worse.

Kagome, meanwhile, was having the worst déjà vu of her life, as she immediately found herself reliving all of her worries and fears for Inuyasha over the last few days, before she had finally learned what had become of him. And what had she discovered in that moment? That he had in fact been in need of her help, that's what.

"I'll be careful…" she stated quietly to no one in particular before walking back towards the mountain at a more reasonable pace of foot.

Seeing that the girl was no longer hysterical, Sango let Kagome go without protest. Sharing a silent look with Miroku, she knew the monk's thoughts on the subject currently mirrored her own. Shippou, who had since been released from his second seal, stood quietly by the sidelines, mentally cheering Kagome on.

"Inuyasha…?" the future-born miko called, carefully crawling over what had once been part of the cave, the entire mountainside having collapsed in on itself like a fallen soufflé.

For several moments everyone watched and waited in silence. Even the villagers, who had all been restored to perfect health, indicating Inuyasha's success in annihilating the entire clan of youkai, remained silent as they prayed the miko's friend had somehow survived his own attack. In their moment of shear relief to still be alive, it currently didn't bother any of the now more normal-minded farmers that a miko was actually friends with a hanyou. They would forever be in debt to that particular hanyou.

"Inuyasha? Are you all right? Can you hear me?" Kagome called, desperately hoping for some sign of life.

She got her wish when Kirara suddenly rushed forward, the nekomata having heard a groan much too quiet for Kagome's mortal ears. As the two-tails began digging in the dirt, still in her saber form, Kagome rushed over to the same spot where Kirara was standing, figuring they were somewhere above the narrow passageway that had led into the cave's main chamber. Inuyasha must have tried to make a run for it before the entire mountain had started collapsing in all around him.

Heedless of the spiky weeds occasionally pricking her hands, Kagome dug as fast as she could, hoisting and tossing away some larger rocks that she was fairly sure weighed more than she should've been able to lift. When a clawed hand suddenly busted through the rocks and dirt, the miko cried in relief while Kirara carefully grabbed a hold of the hand and tugged, literally dragging Inuyasha out of his would-be grave. The action probably would've broken the arm of a mortal, but the hanyou was much tougher than that. Hell, he'd just survived having an entire mountain fall on top of him! Not that he could've lived indefinitely, buried alive like he had been. He'd hardly been able to move, and he _hadn't _been able to breathe, so Kagome and Kirara digging him out had definitely saved his life.

_That's twice in one day that that girl's come to my rescue_… Inuyasha noted with mixed feelings, even as he struggled to take in normal breaths of air without coughing. He didn't like being the one who got rescued. _He _was supposed to be the one rescuing _her_. But he wasn't so proud as to outright reject the aid so obviously needed to save his life. He would much rather choose feelings of inadequacy over death, he decided.

"Oh, Inuyasha! You're all right!" Kagome cried as she rushed forward, enveloping him in a bone-crushing embrace.

Of course, the hanyou thought then, there were _some _perks to occasionally needing to be rescued.

~o~o~o~o~o~

None of the local villagers had felt offended, under the circumstances, when the inu-tachi opted _not _to spend another night at the Inn, immediately gathering their belongings and heading out on the road after only a brief visit to the bathhouse to get cleaned up. Just as Kagome had hypothesized, quite a few of the locals who had 'moved' there had suddenly realized, upon waking from the fog of the youkai's spell, that they had only been passing through the village before having randomly decided to stay there instead of returning home. Several people had been missing for weeks, some even for months, and Kagome found herself sympathizing with the families of those people, who'd clearly had no idea in all that time what had become of their loved ones.

The farming village itself had existed there for many years, but because human energy was so much weaker than youkai energy, the initial drain on the villagers had hardly been noticeable. The mind-controlling aspects had been in effect strong enough for the villagers to have become aware of the 'holy ones' and the prospect of the 'awakening', but it had originally been something far off on the horizon; a goal to work towards for generations to come, almost like a prophecy. It hadn't been until after Daisuke had decided to settle there a few months back, a direct result of the spell, that the holy man had come up with the bright idea of capturing small youkai and placing them in the cave. While most of the unconscious green youkai had each adopted their own personal villager, if you will, the youkai within the cave were drained more openly, their youki seeping into the walls of the cave itself, which had become empowered with the green youkai's ability to absorb energy as they'd rested in physical contact with the cave walls for so long. Still, even with that added boost, things had been relatively slow going, on the grand scale of things. It hadn't been until after Inuyasha had been added into the mix that the tremendous power of the dai-hanyou had kicked everything into gear. Suddenly, the 'dead' youkai were hungry, and in their greed they had no longer been able to feed slowly and safely from their human hosts, wanting to suck as much energy as they could from wherever they could get it in order to get their awakening over and done with.

Kagome tried to tell herself that everything had played out the way it had for a reason. Had it not been for their arrival, then the youkai would've eventually gotten as strong as they had, regardless, and then what could've happened, if that many youkai that were capable of telepathically manipulating you into worshiping them while simultaneously feeding off of your life-force had suddenly been released into the world? No, it was definitely worth the brief amount of hell they'd all gone through to now ensure that that would never happen. She only wished that she hadn't gotten that innocent couple killed by instructing them to flee the village, but biting back her guilt, the miko tried to convince herself that it wasn't really her fault. She hadn't been the one to deliver the deathblow after all, so therefore shewas not truly the one who'd killed them. Just like Sango had said during the town meeting, they could've been captured instead, so then their deaths really were on somebody else's hands. It would take Kagome a few days to fully convince herself of that. But fortunately, at least the man who had taken an arrow in the leg was expected to make a full recovery. Well, not a _full_ recovery, since they lacked the proper surgical methods of her time to assist with an injury of that nature, but it was not a vital area, and the village healer had assured Kagome that with his knowledge of medicines the man would not die of infection. Under the circumstances, that was good enough for her.

Once again pushing her bicycle along the rocky mountain path, Shippou catching a ride in her basket, Kagome opted _not _to complain about when they would be stopping to take a rest. If Inuyasha wanted to march straight through the night that would be all right with her; the further they got from the farming village, the better.

~*~*~*~ Fin ~*~*~*~


End file.
